Closer than Most
by chellethebelle
Summary: Elena comes back to Mystic Falls after being compelled to stay away and meets the Salvatore brothers all over again. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**I'm back already! I've got another fic in addition to this up my sleeve so prepare! I hope you all enjoy Closer than Most!**

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><p>Elena Gilbert stood staring at the fireplace, letting the flames transport her to another world, even for just a moment. Everyone she knew was at the Lockwood's attempting to murder Klaus and here she was, left alone in the boarding house.<p>

Her life had been a spiraling mess up to that point. Klaus has Stefan under his compulsion and her blood was the only way he could make his hybrids. She was just so tired of being in the middle of this war. Sometimes she wanted to be 18. She wanted to go to parties, fall in love, get married, have children. Things like that would't happen if she kept falling in love with vampires.

Vampires. Not just one.

She shook her head as if her brain was a giant Etch-A-Sketch and would erase that thought from her mind. It sure didn't erase the longing in her heart. Sometimes her heart would physically squeeze and ache. She ignored the reasons, but it was silly. Everyone knew what she was trying to avoid.

She was jolted out of her thoughts when she heard the door open behind her. She quickly turned around to see Damon enter the house. He looked a little worse for wear, but he was alive. For that, she was grateful. She tried to read his face to see any sign as to how the night went, but he gave nothing away. He just strode into the room, took the glass tumbler out of her hand, and downed the amber liquid she used to calm her nerves.

"Turning to alcohol, Elena," he asked, but no humor colored his tone.

"What happened tonight?" She asked, trying to keep her voice even as the light from the flames danced across his beautiful face.

"He's dead. Both of them are," Damon said, he looked shocked saying it, like it still hadn't set in.

"What?" She felt her eyes go wide and her jaw go slack, "What happened?"

He finally turned to face her.

"I went to stake Klaus. _I had him_," he said passionately, taking a step closer to her.

"Then Stefan, in all his glory came in and stopped me," he continued, disbelief coloring his voice, "He saved Klaus, Elena. He saved Klaus because he wanted his freedom."

Elena tried to take everything in. How could Stefan do that? Didn't he know that when Klaus died his compulsion would be broken?

"I thought you said they were dead?" She asked in a small voice.

"They are. Apparently when an Original stakes another Original with that specific stake, they both go up in flames," Damon said.

"It's strange," Elena mumbled.

"What's strange?" Damon asked. She should've known that Damon would hear her.

"That he's really gone. I'm not just a human blood bag anymore," she said, a little bit of wonder in her voice.

"You were never just a human blood bag, Elena," Damon said quietly, taking a step closer to her and gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Her skin was on fire from the barely-there contact.

"Elena," he whispered after a few quiet moments, his fingers still lingering on her cheek, "Stefan's gone. He's never going to be the same."

"He's never going to be the same," he repeated with more anger before throwing the glass into the brick fireplace.

His outburst caught her off guard and she found herself desperate to calm him down. She closed the distance between them and grabbed his arm so he'd face her. Which he quickly and roughly shrugged off.

"Damon," Elena said his name and she saw a little tension leave his frame. She moved closer and cradled his face in her hands. He finally calmed down and met her gaze. It wasn't until that moment that she realized how close she was to him. She steadied herself with a deep breath.

"Then we'll let him go," she said firmly, "We'll let him go. We'll survive this, Damon. We always survive."

Their eyes locked for several tension-filled minutes. She could feel her heart starting to pound in her ears and she was sure he could hear it too. She watched him slowly lean into her and she braced herself for what was coming, but he stopped just short of her lips. She nearly fell over from all the butterflies in her stomach. She was shocked that her hands weren't shaking. He was leaving it up to her. The ball was in her court and she was the one who had to decided where this would go.

She took a deep breath and finally let everything she'd been pushing away come flooding into her mind. Every moment from the past year and a half. The way he looked at her, the way he always put saving Stefan before himself, the way he stepped in between her and Klaus every time they were all in the same room, the way he always protected her. The way he'd always protect her.

So she made a decision and closed the small space between their lips. Kissing Damon in the living room was totally different from kissing him on his deathbed. This time he was an active participant. His lips were soft to the touch, but firmly moving against hers. She let herself get lost in him as her body melted against his. His arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her even closer.

She loved how small she felt in his arms, how protected, how loved. Her hands moved from his face to the soft hair on the back of his neck. He ran his tongue over the seam of her lips and her lips automatically opened for him. His tongue explored the warm confines of her mouth. When she moaned into him, he could hardly contain his self control.

She tasted like everything he'd ever loved. Rain, sunshine, and humanity. She made him feel human for the first time in 150 years.

He lifted her legs around his waist and sped her to the nearest wall. She moved her hips into him and he moaned into her mouth.

"Elena, you gotta stop that. I only have so much self control," he mumbled into the skin on her neck. A small smirk played on her lips as she pressed into him again.

"What if I don't want to stop," she whispered. Her breaths coming out in small pants.

He pulled back so fast that he almost dropped her. His eyes held so many questions and even some insecurities.

"What are you saying?" He whispered in disbelief. It was to good to be true.

"I want you, Damon. All of you," she said earnestly, her doe eyes were burning into his soul. Or whatever he had.

"Don't joke about these things, 'Lena," he shook his head as he set her on her feet and took a step away, running his fingers through his hair.

She understood why he wouldn't believe her. She barely started believing herself. But she knew what she wanted, what she'd denied herself for almost two years. She needed to do this. For her. For Damon. For them.

"Follow me," she whispered and without waiting for acknowledgement, turned and headed up the stairs. She moved at a slower than normal pace, but she could feel him following her, not once complaining about how slow she was moving.

She found the door she was looking for, walked in, and held the door open for him. Her heart was pounding furiously, she could hear the blood rushing in her ears.

"Why are we in my room?" Damon asked quietly after she closed the door.

"I told you, I want all of you. I meant that," she whispered quietly. And took a deep breath before she slowly pulled her shirt over her head. The stood staring at each other in silence. The only sound was her labored breathing and her heart beating in her ears.

She took a small step toward him so she could reach her hand out and lay it over his heart.

"Elena," he whispered, it sounded more like a plea than anything.

She didn't respond as her hand slowly moved down his chest and met her other one at the hem of his shirt. She gave him a small smile before she tugged his shirt over his head and threw it near hers. When he didn't move away from her touch, she took another step closer and placed a kiss on his chest as her hands freely explored the strong planes of his chest and stomach. She looked up at him through her eye lashes, gave him a small smile, a chaste kiss on his lips, and took a step away from him.

She saw confusion in his eyes before her hands went to the button of her jeans and she slid them down her legs. She could feel his gaze on her every move. Once she stepped out of them she moved herself closer to him again. She kissed a trail over his clavicle, up his neck, and settled at the base of his ear. He let out the most beautiful sound as her teeth tugged on the lobe of his ear.

"I'm not afraid anymore," she whispered right against his ear. The moment he processed what she said, the tension in the room lit on fire.

His arms pulled her against him and he moved his head so he could capture her lips. She walked him backwards until the backs of his legs hit the bed. He easily slid his hands under her thighs and picked her up. He turned quickly and gently dropped her on the bed. His body quickly covered hers and her mouth found his once more. Her hands explored his back, touching and scratching every inch of skin she could touch. His hands moved up and down her sides before dipping behind her and unhooking her bra. He leaned back as he removed it from her body and stared down at her in awe.

Any other time, Elena would've felt self conscious with the gaze he was directing at her, but there was something in it that made her feel alive. He slowly slid her panties down her legs so he could gaze at her entire body without anything in the way. She was perfect. He always knew.

He used his magic on her and worked her body to a fever pitch with his talented mouth and hands before he slipped out of his jeans and boxers and moved up her body.

He hovered above her and gazed into her eyes. He could feel her heart beating frantically and it pleased him that he could have such a strong effect on her. She looked so beautiful with her hair across his pillows, spread out over his sheets, his name on her lips.

She returned his gaze with the same intensity before slowly reaching her hands out and gently tracing the contours of his face. He was flawless. So flawless that it rendered her speechless. He held himself above her, frozen under her gentle hands. She sat up a little to press a soft kiss to his lips. She laid back down below him and smiled up into his eyes.

"I love you, Damon," she whispered. She could've laughed at how his eyes almost bugged out of their sockets, but the intensity of the moment and the tears in her eyes stopped her.

His hand cupped her face and he softly rubbed his thumb across her skin. The look of wonder in his eyes almost stopped her heart then and there.

"I love you, Elena," he cried as he finally pressed himself into her. Her back arched off the bed as her body adjusted to his welcomed intrusion. She was floored by how perfectly they fit together. It was like they were made for each other. A lone tear escaped her eye as she smiled at him. He wiped it away before he started moving over him.

The only sounds in the room were skin moving against skin and the sounds of their names echoing around them. He cried her name like it was a sacred prayer. The sound only pushed her closer to the edge as she wrapped her legs around his waist to feel as much of him as possible. She threaded her fingers through his hair in an attempt to hold onto any form of coherent thoughts. The second her fingers squeezed tighter and he whispered words of love into her skin, they both fell over the edge into the most beautiful oblivion they'd ever experienced

He collapsed on top of her and she loved the feel of his weight pressing her into his mattress. She pressed soft kisses into his shoulder and absentmindedly combed her fingers through his hair. In that moment, they experienced true happiness.

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><p>She wasn't sure how she did it, but she managed to tangle herself from his grasp and get home. She'd convinced him that she'd come by in the morning, but she needed to be at home with Jeremy and Ric. Who were both sound asleep when she carefully snuck through the door.<p>

She tiptoed up the stairs and slid into her room before shutting the door behind her. A wide smile broke out on her lips as she leaned back against the door. She had been so brave tonight. She felt elated, liberated even, after finally giving in to the thoughts she'd work so hard to forget. Every fiber of her being knew she loved Damon, but she never allowed herself to admit it for fear the guilt would eat her alive. She knew she should feel a little guilty, but she couldn't seem to muster an ounce. She couldn't love a ghost and that was what Stefan had become, a shell of him former self. He was no longer the man she loved and she moved on from that.

She finally flicked the lights on and had to stifle a scream as she saw Stefan standing in her room.

"What are you doing here?" She asked quietly as her heart picked up in fear.

He let out a humorless laugh.

"I can smell him all over you. _Inside_ you," he practically growled. Her blood boiled. She was perfectly happy when she had gotten home and now he was making her feel like dirt.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before you'd go running to him," he snarled at her, taking slow steps toward her. "That you'd settle for the lesser brother."

Her veins were on fire as she pulled her hand back and released it across his face.

"You don't get to make me feel guilty. Damon has nothing to do with this. _You_ left. You made a choice and I made a choice to move on. I told you I wouldn't love a ghost and I meant it," she spat at him.

"I won't let you become Katherine," he said a little softer.

"I'm not. Katherine played you both. I made a choice and I choose him," she said strongly.

A sadistic smile spread across his lips as he took a few more steps toward her. She tried to sink back against her door to move away from him.

"Elena," he whispered as he cupped her face in his hand. She lifted her gaze to meet his and found herself pulled into it. Panic started to flood into her as she realized what he was going to do. She cursed herself for giving Rebekah her necklace and not taking the precaution to ingest vervain some other way.

"You are going to leave Mystic Falls. Now that the danger is gone, you want to leave it all behind and try to live normally without vampires, witches, and hybrids," he said in a monotone voice. She knew she needed to run, get away from him, but her body wouldn't move. Tears flooded her eyes when she realized she couldn't fight it.

"You are going to forget about the past year and a half. You will forget me and Damon. You will forget Caroline is a vampire and that Bonnie is a wish. You will go to a new school in a big city, you will go to college there and you will never return to Mystic Falls."

She sucked in a rapid breath and found herself in her room alone.

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><p><strong>Chapter two is finished and on its way soon so stay tuned for that and for another new fic I'll post soon!<strong>

**Reviews are love!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks so much for all the reviews to the first chapter! You guys are amazing!**

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><p>Elena sped along the highway, pushing her fully loaded car as fast as it would go. She was a fresh grad from NYU, finished in an impressive three years, including graduating from school early. She glanced over to her passenger seat where her fresh diploma lay. She graduated with honors in creative writing. After graduation, she decided on a whim to pack up and move back home.<p>

Mystic Falls was her home for her entire childhood. She loved it there, but a few months into her senior year she decided that she just needed a change. She'd never gone back since. She hadn't even wanted to. Even now as she sped closer and closer to Mystic Falls, she still felt uneasy, like she should turn around and go back. Find somewhere- anywhere- else to live. The years before she left Mystic Falls were a blur to her. Her Aunt Jenna had passed, leaving Alaric in charge as their pseudo-father. But if she thought about it hard enough, she didn't even remember Jenna's passing or funeral. Sometimes she felt guilty about it.

To say the last few years of her life passed normally would be an overstatement. In her mind, she was a normal girl, but something was nagging on the edges of her mind telling her something was wrong. She'd have dreams of a mysterious man telling her that he loved her. He looked like he had more to say, but that was all her mind would give her. Over the years the dream would become more vivid, she saw his dark hair, she saw her bedroom, she heard the musical tone of his voice, but that's as far as she'd gotten.

The closer she got to Mystic Falls, the more the anxiety in her chest rose. It was the same feeling she got every time she thought about going home. Something in her mind would tell her not to, so she didn't. But now Ric was getting married and she was done with school and New York City for that matter.

No one knew she was coming, she figured they'd tell her not to. So she quietly packed and decided to move back and be there for Ric while he got married. Maybe if she surprised him, he wouldn't feel obligated to have his wedding outside of Mystic Falls. Besides, he was marrying a woman who came from one of the founding families.

Her foot unconsciously hovered over the breaks as she neared the "Welcome to Mystic Falls" sign. She fought to gain control over her thoughts and finally pushed her foot down further on the accelerator. Once she passed the sign she immediately felt the bands around her chest fall away. It was the strangest thing she'd ever experienced. She didn't pay much more attention to it as she pulled into the Mystic Grill. She was in desperate need of an afternoon drink.

She tried to lay low and blend in as she crossed the familiar restaurant and sat down at the bar. The drive home had done a number on her between the amount of miles she drove and fighting herself the entire way.

She plopped down on a barstool and ordered a Scotch on the rocks. After long days it was her go to alcoholic beverage, she didn't know when she decided that it was the only thing that did the trick. But it often relaxed her more than any drink could, it made her feel normal.

"Long day?" A melodic voice chimed from the other side of her, she turned to face the voice and was accosted by a pair of the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. Or had she seen them before? She shook her head to clear herself of the thought.

"Perhaps, why do you ask?" She asked him after she got her heart to calm a little. He was clad in all black including the mass of messy dark hair on his head. He looked like sex in dark denim and leather. She almost slapped herself to keep from drooling.

"Not your typical 'lady drink'," he chuckled as he gestured to her half empty glass.

"Well, I'm not your typical lady," she shot back before turning to her drink again.

"No, you certainly are not," he said, almost to himself as he sat down next to her. She internally rolled her eyes, he was one of those guys.

"So are you new in town? I'd certainly notice a beautiful girl like you around here. Need a refill?" He said after a few moments of silence.

"I'm sorry, I'm really not interested," she snapped at him before finishing off the amber liquid in her tumbler.

She wasn't lying when she said she wasn't interested. Sure he was like walking, talking sex, but it didn't matter. She didn't date or hook up. Every time she tried to get close to someone, something in her heart prevented her from falling. It was like it belonged to someone else, which was preposterous considering she'd only ever dated Matt. That was in high school and she'd definitely gotten over him. But her heart was in the business of protecting itself. She knew relationships only led to pain. But there was something about this guy that made her heart rate pick up and her hands get all sweaty. She didn't like it. She didn't like it one bit.

She was damaged goods. She was so messed up in the head. Her heart was pledged to a fictional man that she only saw in her dreams and she'd never even seen his face. It was ridiculous.

She pushed herself away from the bar and dropped enough cash to cover her drink. She turned to leave but his voice stopped her in her tracks.

"You could at least give me your name so I know who rejected me," she turned back to see an infuriating smirk on his lips. He was too cocky for his own good. She was glad she turned him down and she'd do it again in a heartbeat. Which currently, hers was picking up at the sight of him.

"Elena, Elena Gilbert," she said finally. He rose from his stool and sauntered over to her.

"Nice to meet you Miss Elena. I'm Damon," he said extending his hand to her. She looked at it for a few moments before turning her gaze back to his handsome face. She was momentarily distracted by the prominent curve of his jaw and how soft his lips looked. _Get it together, Gilbert, _she thought to herself.

"Funny, you looked more like an ass to me," she smirked right back at him before turning on her heel and striding out of the Grill.

She half expected him to follow her to her car and try a new line on her, but he never did. Her heart fell a little when she glanced around and he was no where to be found in the parking lot. She chastised herself for being so affected by a pretty face.

She jumped in her car and threw it into drive before heading straight to her childhood home, a pair of ice blue eyes haunting her the whole way.

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><p>Sometimes he wondered why he ever decided to come back to this town. Maybe because it was his only true home. Maybe because he missed her and when he was here he felt closer to her. Sure he'd tried to find her over the years, but it was no use. So he threw himself into other activities, the biggest he achieved finally. Maybe if he could be what she wanted then she'd come back and find him.<p>

Shit. He was turning into Stefan. Well, the old Stefan. He hadn't seen much of his brother after that night, which was probably best for both of them. He wanted to kill him for what he did, but he knew that wasn't what she would want. So he threw himself into things other than revenge.

He felt for the folded piece of paper that held a permanent place in the back pocket of his jeans. For as much heartbreak that paper brought him, it also made him feel like she was with him.

He looked around the almost empty restaurant from his usual corner booth, still wondering why he ever found this place appealing when his heart started pounding and he felt a lurch in his gut. It was a strange thing, usually he got that feeling when he thought of her, but never this strong. He looked toward the bar and almost dropped dead when he saw a young woman at the bar. Her hair was long and shiny. The chestnut locks hung straight around her shoulders and fell to her mid back.

He shook his head to shake off the thought, it wasn't her. It couldn't be. But when she turned on her stool, looking around the room he caught sight of those big doe eyes and that confirmed it for him. She was back. He didn't waste much time mulling over how it was even possible, instead he chose to cross the room and stand right next to her at the bar.

"Long day?" He asked after he took a few breaths to steady himself. She jumped hearing his voice before turning to face him. God, she was beautiful. She had grown so much over the years. She was more a woman than he'd ever dreamed she'd become. Her breasts filled her shirt and she had a little cleavage peeking out from under her v-neck. Her waist was still tiny as ever, but her hips rounded out and all he wanted to do was put his hands on them and pull her closer. In a word, she was sexy. Sexy as hell.

"Perhaps, why do you ask?" She asked coyly. Her brown eyes were dancing with playfulness, but there was something lurking on the edges. Fear? Anxiety?

"Not your typical 'lady drink'," he laughed pointing to her drink. Scotch. His favorite. His mind flashed with images of her and him bonding over that drink. Her taking his glass from him and drinking it herself, or her getting him a glass of it after he killed Rose, and that fateful night when Klaus drained her like a blood bag for his hybrids and he gave her a glass of it to calm her nerves.

She clearly didn't remember him, so how had she broken through the compulsion and gotten here in the first place? There were so many things he wanted to ask her, along with the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless. He missed her, he missed the stubborn tilt to her chin when she was mad, or the soft feel of her lips against his, he missed that small smirk she would get when she outsmarted him. He just missed her. So damn much.

"Well, I'm not your typical lady," she snapped at him. Still feisty as ever. He missed that too.

"No, you certainly are not," he mumbled to himself. He wasn't sure if she heard because she turned all of her attention back to the drink in front of her.

"So are you new in town? I'd certainly notice a beautiful girl like you around here. Need a refill?" He finally spoke, he didn't want her to leave. He felt like if he could keep her talking she wouldn't walk out of the bar and back out of his life. He wouldn't be able to handle that.

"I'm sorry, I'm really not interested," she shot at him, before finishing off the contents of in her tumbler, rising from her seat, and dropping cash on the bar to cover her drink.

He went into panic mode, he couldn't let her leave, he couldn't lose her.

"You could at least give me your name so I know who rejected me," he called out to her, just wanting to see her eyes one more time.

"Elena, Elena Gilbert," she said finally. He rose from his stool and walked over to her, enjoying the way her lips parted slightly with his close proximity.

"Nice to meet you Miss Elena. I'm Damon," He smirked at her as he held his hand out for her to shake.

"Funny, you looked more like an ass to me," the corner of her mouth turned up into the smirk he wore almost all the time. It was his Elena alright. She was back. With that remark, she turned and left the bar. He considered following her, but then he caught sight of her car, filled to the brim with all her belongings and he almost did a happy dance right then and there. She was moving back.

Elena was back.

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><p><strong>Reviews are love!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

__**Wow that is more reviews than I've ever gotten on two chapters of a story! Thank you all so much! The response is overwhelming in the best way possible! You guys are amazing!**

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><p><em>Damon,<em>

_I'm so sorry I'm doing this to you, but I have to. Klaus is dead and the threat to me and Mystic Falls is done. Then I realized, I'm only 18 and I'm in love with a vampire. I want so much in life, Damon. I want to grow old and have children. No vampire can give that to me. I love you, I do. But the baggage from the past year and a half is wearing me down. I'm not me anymore and I miss that person. That is why I need to leave. I need to leave Mystic Falls and everything supernatural that is in it. _

_I know I'm breaking your heart, and it's breaking mine to leave, but I have to. I have to give myself a chance at a normal life and I can't live one with what I've gone through. I asked Stefan to take it all away. I know you would say that was being a quitter and taking the easy way out, but I can't live like this anymore. I've been so strong through everything and now I just want to be weak for once. _

_He's taking everything away. Everything from the past year and a half. I'm so sorry. I love you. I hope one day you can forgive me._

_Love, _

_Elena_

He read the letter over and over again. His mind flashed back to the moment Stefan walked into the boarding house telling him that Elena was gone. That she'd come to him desperate to live a normal life. She knew he'd do it for her. She knew Damon never would. He was so angry at first. He couldn't believe after all they'd been through that she'd just leave him like that.

She took the easy way out. Some days he was so angry at her for it, but it gave him time to search the world to figure out how he could be the one thing she wanted. He knew it was crazy, but he always thought that if he figured it out, then she'd come back to him.

And she did. Some how she broke through the compulsion that should've been impossible to break, but she did. Just like it was impossible for vampires to become human. But he did. He did it for her.

He threw himself into searching for a witch that would be able to figure out a spell. There had to be something. He knew the witches were all about "preserving the balance of nature" but a vampire was unnatural! Being a human wasn't. So with that in mind he set out across the east coast searching. He'd found Lucy Bennett after a year of searching. She didn't want to be found and when he'd finally decided to give up, she materialized in front of him one day. She knew he'd been looking for her. She already knew what he wanted, but she avoided him until she knew how to give it to him. Of course, it didn't come without stipulations.

One he had easily accomplished, Klaus was dead. The other was fairly simple. She wanted the Bennett line released from their debt to the vampires. It seemed all to easy for him, but he did it and got what he wanted.

His first few days as a human again were unreal. The emotions hit him so hard he almost couldn't function. He thought they'd kill him right then and there, but slowly he learned how to cope, how to deal with it all. After he learned how to deal, then came his love for the one girl who inspired him to change, to take a chance and really go for what he wanted in life. His heart swelled when he thought about her, but not soon after he would remember that she chose to leave him. For the first time he felt like he experienced true and real heart break. For the first time in over 150 years, he cried. He really cried, not just a tear, a full on, frame-shaking cry. He cried so hard it hurt, it physically hurt him. His knees had buckled under his weight, sending him straight to the floor. He had to desperately search for something to hold onto while the sobs shook his whole body and soul. It had been the single most painful thing he'd ever experienced. He tried to push the pain away, to shut it off, but it was gone. He had to feel every moment of it.

The shrill ring of his phone pulled him out of his walk down memory lane. He glanced at the screen quickly before answering.

"Good morning, darling," he said with a smirk.

"How soon can you get over here?" Ric asked, his voice sounded strained.

"Be there in ten," he said as he snapped the phone shut. He figured Ric had seen Elena and was panicking about how she ever managed to come back. He had been musing about since he saw her the day before. He still had no answers.

Eleven minutes later, he was walking into the Gilbert-Saltzman house. He walked straight into the kitchen where Ric was nursing a cup of coffee.

"Do you have any idea who showed up on my porch yesterday claiming she was moving back?" Ric said as Damon moved past him to fill his own mug of coffee. Since becoming human, he learned that he really couldn't drink so early in the mornings or he'd be useless the rest of the day. He took a sip of the glorious liquid before turning to face Ric.

"A little doe-eyed beauty, I suspect," Damon smirked as he leant back against the counter.

"I thought she was supposed to be gone forever, never coming back. How did she come back?" Alaric asked, pacing with a glass of Bourbon in his hand, then he froze, "Wait, how did you know she's back?"

"I ran into her at the Grill. Imagine my surprise," he mused sarcastically, "Where is she anyway?"

"She's still sleeping, we were all up pretty late last night," Ric said, before taking another swig of his coffee, "Do you think she remembers?".

"No, I don't think so," he mumbled trying to figure out how she'd gotten back.

"Do you think Stefan tried to remove the compulsion?" Ric asked, "Maybe he wanted her to remember him again."

"Remember who again?" A tired voice asked from the doorway. Damon's heart lurched at the sight of her. She was still wearing her pajamas, which only consisted of a small, tight-fitting tank top, and short shorts. God, he missed those legs.

"We were just talking about wedding plans," Ric covered quickly, "Elena, this is my best man, Damon. Damon, this is my niece, Elena. She's also Meredith's maid of honor." He knew he had to keep up the charade in case Elena really didn't remember.

Damon held out his hand to her, but she just looked at it suspiciously.

"Ah yes, we met yesterday," she said, carefully placing her hand in his. He smirked at her and her heart went wild as he pulled her hand up and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

"It's my pleasure," his smirk only increased when she tried to rip her slightly shaky hand from his grip.

"I still think you look like an ass," she muttered as she finally pulled her hand from his. His proximity was doing terrible things to her heart and she didn't like it one bit. She hated emotions. They were reserved for one person, a person that didn't exist. If the only person she could truly love was a figment of her imagination, why give anyone else a chance?

Ric's phone rang and he excused himself to take the call, leaving Damon and Elena alone.

"So, Miss Elena, what's your story?" He asked leaning back against the counter across from her. She turned after she filled her mug and mimicked his stance.

"My story is pretty lame. I grew up here then moved to New York durning my senior year. After that I attended NYU and graduated with a degree in creative writing," she explained.

"Why'd you move in the middle of your senior year?" Damon asked, hoping to shed some light on why she was back now.

"I don't know," she shrugged, "I guess I just needed a change after my parents and my aunt passed away."

She pursed her lips and he couldn't get the feel of them against his out of his mind. His heart rate was picking up just being so close to her. All he wanted was her in his arms and he never wanted to let go. He wanted to feel her pressed against him and the perfection of how they fit together. Like she was made for him.

He had to get away from her before he did something crazy like close the small distance between them and rip all her clothes off.

"Well, Elena, it was nice seeing you again, but I have places to be," he pushed off the counter and moved so he stood only a few inches from her. A satisfied smirk formed on his lips when he heart her small gasp, "I'll see you around."

She mumbled a goodbye and watched him leave in a daze. Her heart was having a hard time recovering from his presence. Maybe because the man in her dreams took on a new characteristic, his eyes were a stunning blue as they gazed into hers and he told her he loved her. Her heart reacted in her dream the same way her's did when Damon stood so close to her.

She tried to push him from her mind for the rest of the morning as she got ready. She couldn't have him getting under her skin and into her brain. She didn't like the effect he had on her. She didn't like it one bit.

She successfully pushed him from her thoughts all morning. She entered the town square to enjoy the weather and pick up a few incidentals that she'd forgotten when she moved. She was in her own world until she spotted a familiar blonde sitting at a table in front of the Grill. Her eyes locked with the blue-eyed man sitting across from her friend.

Dammit. Now she was thinking about him again and her palms were already getting sweaty. The blonde followed his gaze until her eyes fell upon Elena. The squeal of delight she let out was deafening, even from across the street. The blonde came bouncing across the street before wrapping her arms around her.

"Elena!" She squealed, "I can't believe you are back!"

"Hey Caroline," Elena said as she patted her friend on the back, "I missed you too."

Elena glanced at the man Caroline had been sitting with over her shoulder, but to her disappointment, he was gone. She shook her head slightly. She shouldn't be disappointed, she should be happy.

Caroline dragged her across the street and back to her table. Elena sat in the same seat that Damon had occupied only moments ago.

"Was that Damon you were here with?" Elena asked, hating how curious she sounded.

"Ya, we're uh...," Caroline trailed off searching for a good word to describe them, "Friends, I guess."

"Friends or _friends_," Elena raised her eye brows.

"Regular friends, barely," Caroline said quickly, not wanting to give the wrong impression, besides she almost dry heaved thinking about a time when they were _friends_. "He's like totally in love with y-" her eyes widened a little before she stopped herself, "With someone else." She amended quickly.

"Oh," Elena dropped her eyes and cringed at how disappointed she sounded. It would be better that way. If he loved someone else then she had no reason to react so strongly to his presence.

"So tell me about college!" Caroline exclaimed, she missed her best friend. Even though she knew Elena left with good reason, it didn't stop her from missing her best friend.

"College was good," Elena said, "I'm glad it's over though."

"Any boys?" Caroline's smile grew as she wiggled her eyebrows.

"No," Elena laughed. In that moment she wondered how she ever lost touch with Caroline and with Bonnie for that matter. She never realized how much she needed them. "I've sworn off serious relationships."

"Really?" Caroline asked disbelieving her.

"Well, sort of," Elena said, dropping her eyes to her nervous hands in her lap. "Can I tell you something?"

"Anything," Caroline said in a gentle tone.

"Promise you won't say anything to anyone and that you won't laugh," Elena said quickly.

"I promise, what's up?" Caroline asked.

"I just felt like my heart doesn't want anyone because it already is spoken for," Elena said quietly.

"Well what does your heart want?" Caroline asked.

"See I don't know!" Elena exclaimed dropping her head, "I feel like ever since I left Mystic Falls I haven't been the same. I've been having dreams."

"What kind of dreams?" Caroline asked, scooting her chair closer to the table and leaning in.

"It's the same dream. I can't see anything, but I'm in my room and there is a man there who is telling me that he loves me, he has more to say, but the dream always ends there," Elena explained, "And I can feel the love rolling off of him and I can feel it swell inside me as well. It's crazy, but in my dreams, I'm in love with him too."

"It's not crazy," Caroline said gently.

"It's so silly, but I don't want anyone else because I only want that person in my dreams," Elena said sadly.

"Well maybe you'll find him some day," Caroline said softly with a small smile. They talked for almost two hours, catching up, and laughing. It felt so good to be back with her best friend. She missed her so badly and she wondered why she would ever leave her best friends behind.

Once she and Caroline said their goodbye's she headed off to the small market to get what she'd originally set out for earlier that day. She scanned the isles of the market, searching for her specific shampoo when out of nowhere she ran straight into a strong body. Her basket flew out of her hands and she fell straight to the ground.

"Wow, I'm so sorry," came the voice that she assumed belonged to the body.

She looked up at the person who was now squatting in front of her picking up some of items she dropped. He was handsome, that was for sure. He had sandy-blonde hair, green eyes, and a soft smile. Yet there was something about him that didn't sit right with her. Her heart started beating a little harder with his close proximity, but not like it was with Damon. She felt scared.

She jumped up and started gathering the rest of her items and fixed her clothes back into place.

"Thank you," she said to him quickly, avoiding his gaze.

"Are you new to town?" He asked her with the same smile, but it was unnerving to her.

"Yes," she said quietly, "I just moved back yesterday."

His green eyes danced as he shamelessly looked her over. She squirmed under his gaze.

"Well, thanks again for helping me with my stuff," she said quickly, trying to get away from him.

"Wait," he said and when she looked up he was right in front of her, throwing her off balance a little. His hand shot out to steady her and she flinched like she'd been burned. Her body reacted so violently to his touch that she almost threw her basket on the ground and made a run for it.

"I never got your name," he said to her after she was steady on her feet.

"Elena," she said quickly. She was so desperate to get away from him. She almost felt guilty, she didn't even know him and she was already passing judgements on him. But she couldn't control how her body reacted to him. She glanced back up at his green eyes and tried to wear a polite smile.

"Nice to meet you, Elena. I'm Stefan."

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><p><strong>Dun, dun, DUN! Stay tuned to see what happens! Don't worry, we have a major DE chapter coming up! :] I'll update my other story, Pretend You Love Me in a few days, and then I'll update this one after that! Reviews are love!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all for your lovely reviews! I'm trying really hard to work with Elena's past emotions, because as Jeremy had said before, compulsion takes away the memories, but the emotions are still there. So hopefully that is working for everyone. I imagine she is afraid of Stefan because of her last encounter with him... Anyway. Enjoy!**

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><p>Since he became human he realized pretty quickly that he no longer had the good fortune of being eternally fit. The morning he woke up and realized his glorified abs were disappearing, he almost had a fit. So he quickly signed up for a gym membership and worked out religiously.<p>

He saw her the second she walked in, wearing little spandex shorts and a tight fitting tank top with her hair pulled into a high pony tail. He saw the way the guys stopped and stared as she walked by. She didn't notice any of them. His mind drifted to the brief moment she was his. He would do anything to get his hands on her again, to feel her body react to him, to kiss her lips, to taste her skin, to be in her, to be one with her. He ached for it. His whole being ached for her.

He watched her settle in next to one of the punching bags before putting her earphones in and letting loose on the bag. She was fascinating and clearly tough as ever. She clearly taken her love of beating things up with her to college. Her form was near perfect and she was sure letting off some steam. Sweat was soon pooling on her brow and making her skin glisten. He would give anything to lick those little droplets off her chest or follow them into the confounds of her tank top. God, he missed her.

He couldn't sit and watch her any longer, so his feet guided him to where she was engrossed in taking out all frustrations on the punching bag. He snuck up behind the bag and held it as she beat into it. The girl was strong, he could feel her punches vibrating through the bag. It took her a few minutes to realize someone was there and she instantly froze. Her chest was heaving and she had sweat pouring down her face. He tried as hard as he could to not get distracted by her breasts rising and falling only an arms length from him.

She pulled her earphones from her ears and gave him a pointed look.

"Good morning," he purred.

"Hi, Damon," she said, irritation slipping into her tone, "Can I help you?"

"Just wanted to tell you that you looked good," he said simply with a shrug. A small smile started forming on her lips and he couldn't figure out why.

"Are you...," she stopped to giggle, "flirting with me?"

"What? No," he said quickly trying to backtrack, "I meant your punches. They look really good and tight." He could feel blood rushing to his cheeks and he cursed that part of being human, embarrassment was not an emotion that boded well with him.

She stifled her giggles before speaking again, "Well thank you."

"So, how are you adjusting to the move?" He asked conversationally, he was desperately trying to keep her there talking to him.

"It's pretty good, the transition has been smooth for the most part," she explained, "I'm actually doing some job hunting today."

"Well that's good to hear," he smiled at her. He wanted so badly to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless right then and there.

"Ya it's been nice," she said, bending down to gather her things, "We'll I should get showered."

He nodded at her and watched her walk away. Before his brain could catch up with his mouth he blurted out, "What are you doing this weekend?"

She stopped in her tracks and turned to face him with an amused smile on her perfect lips.

"Are you asking me on a date, Mr. Salvatore?" She asked flirtatiously.

"Well that depends," he smirked at their easy banter.

"Depends on what?" She asked with a confused look.

"If you're saying yes," his smirk only got deeper with the way her cheeks started turning red.

"Well what if I said no?" She asked with a small smile.

"You won't," he said confidently though he didn't feel it. He was worried that she may really say no. She left him for a reason, he couldn't help but think she'd reject him again.

"Cocky are we?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Rightfully so," he said with a shrug, "So what do you say?"

"I don't do relationships," she said seriously.

"Change is the only constant," he responded with a cocky smirk, "But I didn't ask if you wanted a relationship."

She was quiet for a few seconds and for a brief moment, he thought she was really going to say no.

"Ok," she said with a small smile.

"Good answer," he said with a cheeky smile before he turned and headed out of the gym. He could feel her gaze on his back until he disappeared from her sight.

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><p>"I have absolutely nothing to wear," Elena muttered to herself as she stood next to a pile of her clothes wearing nothing but a jean skirt and a bra.<p>

"For a date that is- and I quote- 'no big deal.' You're sure freaking out," Caroline said with a laugh from her spot on Elena's bed.

"It's not a big deal, but I still want to look nice," she said as she compared two tops in the mirror before turning to face Caroline again, "I told you, I don't date it just leads to heartbreak"

"Oh right, I forgot you swore off guys. Why is that anyway?" Caroline asked while she eyed the two tops in her friend's hands, "Go with the blue, definitely the blue." Elena removed it from its hanger and slipped it over her head.

"It's hard to explain, Care. I just need to focus on me, especially now that I've moved back. I feel like after I left I lost sight of who I am. I always feel this constant need to look over my shoulder and that if I fall for someone or if I care about someone, they'll just be ripped from my grasp and put in danger," She explained as she rummaged through her closet to produce two pairs of shoes, "Which one?"

"My vote goes to the boots," Caroline said after a moment of contemplation, "I still think you need to let your walls down a little and you'd be surprised how good it feels to _feel_."

"Even if I wanted to, it's easier said than done," Elena said with a sigh as she maneuvered her foot into a boot. She did like the prospect of letting someone in after being alone for so long, but she couldn't stop the panicking feeling that swelled in her chest. She could almost see them being ripped from her hands just because she cared for them.

"Well your date is the perfect time to start," Caroline said with a smug smile as the doorbell rang.

"And there is your prince charming now," Caroline laughed as Elena shot her a look that could kill- if she wasn't already dead.

"It's one date, Caroline," Elena repeated, more to herself than to Caroline.

Elena grabbed her purse from the top of her dresser before shooting Caroline one last smile.

"You better call me as soon as you get home," she said before adding, "Unless you don't come home tonight," with a suggestive wink.

Elena just rolled her eyes before shutting her door behind her and venturing down the stairs. Her breath caught in her throat when she opened her door and caught sight of him. He was wearing very well fitting jeans, black boots that matched his black button up shirt. He had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his hair sat perfectly against his forehead.

She had to take a moment to settle her heart before flashing him a small smile.

"Hey," she said a little breathlessly.

"Hi yourself," he smirked at her, "You ready?"

"I am," she responded as she stepped onto the porch and closed the door behind her. The night was perfect, it was warm, but there was a light breeze that ruffled her hair a little and sent his scent right into her nose. It was intoxicating and almost knocked her clean off her feet. He smelled like nothing she'd ever smelled before and all she wanted was more.

He led her to his Camero and opened her door for her, she mumbled her thanks before sliding onto the cool leather. Even the car smelled like him. The sound of the driver's side door opening jolted her from her thoughts.

"So where are you taking me?" She asked playfully.

"I would tell you, but then I'd have to kill you," he responded with a wink.

"Wow, very original," she laughed.

Elena's jaw dropped when they pulled up outside a large old-looking mansion. It looked like it was fresh out of another century.

"Where are we?" She asked in wonder as he helped her out of the car.

"My house," he said simply, leading her up to the door with his hand on the small of her back.

"You live here?" She asked incredulously. He just chuckled at her awestruck expression as he pushed open the large wooden front door. The inside was even bigger than she'd imagined. It was all decorated in an old European style. She was absolutely stunned.

"How old is this place?" She asked in wonder as he led them through the long wooden hallway and into a magnificent kitchen. The walls were dark wood, and the tile was a dark tan, there were granite countertops covering every inch of counter space. It was like a kitchen from a magazine.

"Yes, it's been in my family for ages. I, personally, don't love the style," he said nonchalantly.

"Well this kitchen is gorgeous," she said turning around the large space.

"It's the one room I've actually remodeled," he said. "That and my bedroom," he added while wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. She couldn't stop the blood that flooded her cheeks. She tried to laugh it off, but her laugh sounded forced and shaky.

"So what are the plans for the evening?" She asked, desperate to change the subject.

"We," he started while walking over to a large walk-in pantry and pulling out two aprons, "are cooking."

His smile made her heart skitter before a smile found its way to her lips.

"Sounds great, but fair warning, I'm a terrible cook," she laughed as she went to take the apron from him, but he immediately pulled it back as she grabbed for it.

"Allow me," he said with a smirk.

He moved behind her and gently tied the apron around her neck, his fingers gently brushing against her skin as he pulled her hair out from under the ties. She thought she would fall over from just his touch. He was driving her crazy. Then he tied the strings around her waist and his hands gently caressed her hips and lower back as he tied a knot in the strings.

"There we are," he mumbled before slipping his own apron on and tying it around himself.

He moved across the kitchen to retrieve two wine glasses from a cabinet. He walked over to the wine rack and carefully looked over the impressive display of fine wines before he chose one. He poured the dark liquid into both glasses before smiling and handing her one.

"Now starts the fun stuff," he said with a wink and walked to the fridge and filled his arms with various ingredients. She admired the way his jeans hugged his backside just so and the way the muscles in his back flexed when he moved. He seemed so comfortable in the kitchen and it was... sexy. She mentally slapped herself for that thought. She was supposed to just be on a normal date with a normal person. But she knew that was a bold faced lie.

In a few short minutes he had a concoction on the stove already cooking and filling up the kitchen with a divine smell. They had been asking questions back and forth the whole time while he told her what to chop and occasionally had her taste whatever he was making.

"Backstreet Boys or Nsync?" He asked.

She pretended to put a lot of thought into his question before answering, "Neither. I was all about the Spice Girls."

"Spice Girls, really?" He asked, stifling a laugh.

"Don't laugh," she whined as she bumped him with her hip as she cut the tomatoes, "They were amazing! Girl power and all that!"

"Ok, I'll take your word for it," he said in mock-seriousness while he cut some onions next to her on the counter.

"Hobbies?" She asked him, sneaking a glance at him out of the corner of her eye.

"You mean other than being a stud twenty-four-seven?" He asked with wide eyes.

"Better watch yourself, I'm wielding a knife, mister," she joked with a laugh.

"Ok, ok, down kitty," he held up his hands in surrender, "I like to play the piano."

"I would have never pegged you for a piano player," she said thoughtfully. "Where do you want the tomatoes?"

"Just dump them into the sauce pan," he instructed, "Favorite sport?" He asked as they continued their impromptu game.

"My favorite sport to watch is hockey, I enjoy some good violence now and again," she said while scraping her chopped tomatoes into the sauce pan he'd pointed out to her, "To play, that would have to be soccer."

Damon thought that over for a few moments before responding, "Interesting."

"Interesting?" She asked as he walked over to scrape his chopped onions into the sauce pan and stirring around the contents. "How is that interesting?"

"It's just interesting," he said with a shrug.

"Damon," she emphasized each syllable as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Elena," he said back to her in the same way. He held her gaze for a few heated moments before he broke the tension with a wiggle of his eye brows. A shiver went straight down her spine and made her tingle all over. She didn't like it. Not one bit. She rolled her eyes and walked back to the large island before taking a sip of her wine.

"So what do you need me to do now?" She asked after she got a grip on herself.

"Go ahead and chop the peppers while I get the noodles finished up," he instructed.

She picked up her knife and started cutting the large red pepper on her cutting board.

"So why was my answer interesting?" She asked, it was easier to talk to him normally when she wasn't looking at him.

"I just didn't peg you for a soccer player," he said simply.

"I played when I was younger and then I played for fun when I was at NYU," she explained. She wasn't a sports person, but something about soccer pulled her in. Maybe it was because her father was the one who taught her to kick a soccer ball. She swallowed back the emotion in her throat quickly.

"Why did you leave Mystic Falls?" He asked, his voice was suddenly serious.

She sighed and concentrated on chopping the pepper, rather than his gaze burning into her back.

"I'm not entirely sure. I was running from something, I guess. Running from myself, I don't know," she said. She'd never fully tried to explain why she left Mystic Falls so suddenly, it didn't make sense in her head so why would it makes sense when she said it out loud? She sighed, "All I know is I just needed out. I needed to find myself again. If that makes any sense."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. What she was saying was so close to the truth it was frightening. He was glad her back was to him so she couldn't see him pick his jaw off the ground.

"It makes total sense," he said softly. He watched her carefully as she slowly turned to face him. She had an unreadable expression, but her eyes were vulnerable.

There was something in his voice that struck a chord with her. Something about how soft and gentle it was made her think she had heard it before. Then her mind wondered to her dream man, it was his voice. She turned slowly to look at him. It couldn't be. There was no way. She eyed him carefully and told herself that she was being silly.

She was stunned by the way he was looking at her. It was the look a husband would give his wife on their fiftieth wedding anniversary. It scared her. It excited her. It made her a little dizzy. She opened her mouth to say something, but before any sound could come out, a voice cut through the room.

"Isn't this cozy?" Both of their head snapped toward the voice to see Stefan lounging against the wall on the far side of the kitchen.

"Stefan," Damon almost snarled through clenched teeth. He moved himself so he was standing between Elena and Stefan. She had that same feeling she got when she met him at the store the other day. She did not have a good feeling about him.

"When did you get back into town?" Damon asked, his voice was as tense as his body. His heart was pounding in his ears. He was no longer stronger than Stefan and it had never bothered him until now when he needed to protect Elena.

"A few days ago. Aren't you happy to see me, brother?" Stefan asked with a side smile. His eyes raked over Elena's body and her whole frame stiffened. She distracted herself by continuing on her pepper. The air in the room was thick with tension. Clearly, there was some bad blood between the brothers.

"Well as much as I'd love to chat, Elena and I were just putting the finishing touches on our meal, so you can leave," Damon said bluntly. There was no sense in beating around the bush. Elena avoided eye contact the whole time, trying to focus on her pepper, but the sound of Damon's clipped voice distracted her and she sent her knife right across her hand.

She hissed and jumped while she clenched her hand around the other to try and halt the bleeding, but it was no use, blood was already pooling in her palm.

Damon turned to see what happened. "Elena, are you-" he was cut off by the sight of her blood. His head snapped back to Stefan and she followed his gaze. She gasped when she caught sight of Stefan's darkened eyes with veins protruding all around the sockets, but the moment she blinked he was gone. For a moment she wondered if she was just imagining him standing there. He must have left right before she cut herself, but something still didn't sit right with her.

Damon turned back to her immediately and held his towel to her palm applying a slight pressure. He pulled her over to the opposite end of the kitchen and sat her in one of the chairs around the kitchen table.

"Sit here, and keep holding that towel to your hand," he instructed as he moved around the kitchen, gathering first aid supplies.

He placed the items on the table and then knelt between her knees. He gently took her hand in his and removed the bloodied towel. He gently prodded the cut and the skin around it.

"Doesn't look deep enough to need stitches, thankfully," he sighed with a small smile, "It's be awful if our first date ended with you in the ER getting stitches."

She giggled at his joke, relieved at how it instantly eased the tension that still hung in the air after Stefan's appearance. He cleaned and dressed her wound quickly before rising and putting away the supplies. He told her to stay put because their food was finished.

Dinner passed quickly, it didn't take long for them to fall back into their easy banter from earlier that evening. He laughed at the stories she told about her years in college and she asked him all sorts of questions about his past and his family, which- to her surprise- he answered easily.

She was almost sad when his car pulled up to her house and he helped her out. She didn't want the night to end. She enjoyed his company and the way he made her feel. She felt alive with him, she felt happy, she felt like herself again. The thought terrified and excited her all at the same time. She knew she shouldn't let him in, she was damaged goods, but somehow he'd torn down all her walls that evening without even knowing it.

"Thank you for tonight, Damon," she said when they reached her doorstep. His eyes were captivating, even in the dim porch light. She couldn't help but get lost in them.

"Believe it or not, you are not the worst company in the world, Elena," he said with a smirk pulling up the side of his mouth. Her eyes flicked down to his lips, they looked so soft and inviting, she wondered what they'd taste like.

Her eyes flashed up to his and he was looking at her the same way she had just been looking at him. He reached a hand up and gently tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as he leaned in closer to her. She was so lost in his eyes that she wasn't able to pull away, even if she wanted to. His eyes searched hers for any sign of hesitation, when he saw none, he leaned in further to press his lips to hers. Until the door swung open when his lips were mere centimeters from hers. They both jumped back like they'd been shocked and their gazes snapped to the intruder.

"Oh!" Ric's face went red, "I'm sorry, I thought I heard something out here. I'll just... go now." He awkwardly closed the door and they were alone once more.

"I should probably get inside," Elena said after a few quiet moments, her heart was still pounding and her hands were shaking at the thought of him kissing her. He'd been so close. So damned close. She cursed RIc to the fiery pits of hell for that one.

"You're right," Damon said awkwardly, "Goodnight, Elena."

"Goodnight," she mumbled, still in a daze, as he walked away and got back into his car. She watched him drive away until he disappeared from sight. As she closed the door and leant her back against it, only one thought circulated in her mind.

"_I'm so screwed._"

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><p><strong>I hope you guys liked it, especially after the episode last night. Let me know what you thought of it! <strong>

_**Follow me on Twitter: rachellebelle08**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Aaaaaand I back! Thank you all for your sweet reviews! IDK how I feel about this chapter, but if I rewrote it anymore I think I would just take down the whole story. Ok, that's dramatic, but you get the idea.**

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><p>Damon tried to contain his smile as he strolled through the boarding house with a cup of coffee. Since becoming human, he realized that he couldn't handle day drinking if he wanted to be coherent the rest of the day. So coffee became his new alcohol. He was actually enjoying the quiet of the house. He let his mind wander to his date with Elena the night before. He was still bitter that he didn't get to kiss her. He had been fighting with himself the whole night to not take her in his arms and just feel her skin again or the way her body curved against his. Everything about her drove him crazy, the way she laughed, the smell of her hair, the light in her eyes. She was back and she was still his Elena. He couldn't remember the last time he saw her so carefree and happy.<p>

He was- very rudely- pulled from his thoughts of Elena when he heard the front door kicked open and the slammed shut. He watched Stefan enter the house in a rush.

"Hello, brother," Damon said from his spot near the window.

"What is she doing back?" Stefan demanded, walking into the living room.

Damon turned back toward the window before answering, "I could ask you the same question."

"What was she doing with you?" Stefan asked, his voice getting anxious.

"If you must know, we were on a date," Damon said with a smirk that he kept in place, even when Stefan grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him into a nearby wall. His bones didn't appreciate it much, but his features didn't portray it.

"What does she remember?" Stefan demanded, still holding Damon against the wall. Damon pushed him off with relative ease and took a few steps away from him.

"As far as I can tell, she remembers nothing. I don't know how she is back," Damon said, "Unless your compulsion wasn't strong enough."

"We need to send her away again," Stefan said as he paced the length of the floor.

"No way in hell," Damon spat, "She's back for a reason. She chose to come back."

"She chose to leave," Stefan said in the same tone, "She chose to leave vampires behind."

"Incase you didn't remember, Stefan, I'm not a vampire anymore," Damon snapped at him before downing the rest of his coffee. "I think somebody is just jealous that witches don't like presumptuous douche bags."

"I can kill you so fast, Damon," Stefan warned, but it held no threat.

"But you won't, because no matter how awful you've become, you still can't kill your own brother," Damon said as he watched Stefan walk out of the house. He didn't bother turning around at Damon's words, but Damon and Stefan both knew they were true.

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><p>Elena flopped down into one of the booths at the Grill after a long morning of job hunting. She was finding it hard to concentrate all morning. The man in her dreams was taking on all new characteristics. His hair was still dark, almost black, but now his eyes were a piercing blue, his voice was soft, like velvet, and his lips looked impossibly soft. The man in her dreams was slowly turning into Damon and it was driving her crazy. She'd only known him for a week and she was acting like she was in love with the guy. She couldn't believe how one guy had gotten past all her walls so easily.<p>

She let out a heavy sigh before picking up the menu and searching for something to eat for lunch.

"Long day?" The voice startled her so much that she jumped and dropped her menu. She looked up to see Stefan sitting across from her. Instead of her heart calming down, it only sped up.

"Stefan," she said a little breathlessly, "You scared me."

"Sorry," he smiled sheepishly.

"Can I help you with something?" She asked suspiciously. She still had a bad feeling about him, but now that she was sitting across from him, he didn't seem as bad as she thought.

"I saw you sitting over here alone, so I thought I'd come say hi and apologize for being so rude last night," he said with a shy smile. He was an attractive guy. His green eyes were gorgeous, but they held no real emotion.

"Oh, um," she stuttered, not expecting him to say that, "It's fine."

"Forgive me if I'm speaking out of line, but I'd stay away from my brother if I were you, he's bad news," Stefan said seriously. Any kind thoughts she had about him immediately flew out the window.

"I really don't think that's any of your business," Elena said as she started to rise from the booth. She slung her purse over her shoulder and turned to leave.

"Elena, wait," Stefan said as he reached out and caught her arm. She spun to face him and tried to rip her arm out of his grip, but it was unbreakable.

"Let go of me, Stefan," she hissed in a low voice, glancing around the room to see how many people were around in case she needed to make a scene.

"Has he told you about Katherine?" Stefan asked. The name stopped her heart. It was like she had heard it before, but that wasn't possible.

"Who the hell is Katherine?" She snapped at him.

"Damon's first and only love," he said in a sad voice, "We both loved her."

"He can tell me whenever he wants to tell me, like I said, it was one date," Elena sneered as she ripped her arm from his grasp. She turned on her heel and walked away, but froze when the words left Stefan's mouth.

"You look just like her," he said.

She swiveled her head around to glare at him. She narrowed her eyes and took a step closer to him.

"I don't know what kind of stunt you are trying to pull, but I am not Katherine nor will I ever be, you got that?" She snarled at him before she turned and walked right out of the restaurant and not stopping until she was in her car and on the road. She was fuming the whole way home. How dare he make assumptions about her and Damon, they only went on one date? But why did their relationship feel so much deeper than that?

She pulled up to the empty house, silently thanking the universe that Ric was staying with Meredith for the night, because all she wanted to do was curl up with a chick flick in her pajamas and block out both Salvatore brothers and whatever family drama they were dragging her into.

She couldn't help but feel a connection to both brothers. And she felt a connection with the name Katherine. She was surprised at the amount of hate that swelled in her at the mention of that woman's name. The confusion was overwhelming. She didn't know who those brothers were, but maybe Stefan's warning held some truth. Maybe Damon was dangerous, but maybe Stefan was too.

Just as she settled into the couch and pressed play on her movie, she heard a knock at the door. She ignored it, hoping whoever it was would just give up, but they certainly did not. The knocking only got louder. With a groan, she pushed herself off the couch and slowly made her way to the door before ripping it open.

She was not prepared for the sight of Damon clad in all black leaning against her doorframe. Her heart backflipped in her chest and she tried desperately to calm it. How could he be dangerous when she reacted so strongly to his mere presence?

"What do you want, Damon," she said with more anger than she intended. Her conflicted feelings were giving her a headache. Not to mention the fact that she was now starving as a result of skipping her lunch.

"Sheath the claws, kitten. I'm looking for Ric," Damon said with his hands up in mock-surrender.

"Well he's not here," she snapped.

"Are you ok?" He asked, his eyes were soft and they made her weak in the knees. But then Stefan's voice echoed in her head.

"Who is Katherine?" She asked suddenly. His face was shocked and she swore she saw some color drain from it.

"What? Who told you about her?" He asked quickly, worry evident in his eyes.

"It doesn't matter, who is she?" She snapped.

"Elena, let me explain," he said, he took a step forward, but she responded with a step back, ready to close the door on him. The panic on his face almost made her rethink her anger, but this guy had already weaseled his way into her life and behind her walls, she wasn't going to let him hurt her.

"You know what? I really don't care what you have to say. I'm not her, I will never be her. I refuse to be a replacement for someone you and your brother fought over," she hissed before she slammed the door in his face. If she was being strong and not letting someone destructive in her life, why did she feel like she just had part of her heart ripped out?

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><p>Damon stood there for several minutes processing what just happened. Did she remember something about Katherine? Did Stefan tell her about Katherine?<p>

He never thought he'd have to deal with that just yet. He knew eventually that she would have to be let in on the secret of what she left behind. He was not looking forward to that. Not that he had a plan. She just strolled back into his life like it was no big deal. He wasn't yet ready to see her after she left, but the universe thought he was. He wanted to wait a while and then go find her at her school, sweep her off her feet, and then one day- one day in the far future- he would tell her about what she was compelled to forget. And all of it would happen far, far away from Mystic Falls and the supernatural entities that it possessed.

Now he hit a severe bump in the road and he wasn't sure what to do about it. He stewed about it the whole drive home, slowly getting angrier and angrier. He just got her back. How could he lose her so quickly and to something he fully intended on explaining to her, but later, much, much later?

He stormed into the boarding house and saw Stefan with a smug smile on his face. In that instant he knew that Stefan had told her. He didn't think twice about being human when he lunged at his brother. He knocked him and the couch over onto the ground and pinned Stefan to the floor.

"What did you say to her?" He yelled in his face. The fury inside him was making him see red.

"Just that we have a history of falling for the same girl," Stefan shrugged from the floor. Damon unclenched his fists and got up off Stefan, realizing that Stefan could win easily in a physical battle.

"Clearly," Damon scoffed as he walked over to the liquor cart to pour himself a drink.

"I told you to stay away from her," Stefan said in a warning voice.

"Why do you even care?" Damon demanded after downing a few gulps of his favorite bourbon.

"I'm just trying to protect her," Stefan said.

Damon laughed humorlessly, "That's rich, Stefan. Considering the last time she needed protecting you claimed it wasn't your job anymore."

"It wasn't until she came to me begging to forget all about you and ever meeting you," Stefan said viciously.

Damon's temper flared and without a thought he walked over to his brother and punched him right in the jaw. No words were said as Damon stalked up to his bedroom and slammed the door shut.

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><p><em>"I like you now, just the way you are," she whispered with teary eyes. Her heart was breaking right down the middle. Half of her heart was still in love with Stefan, but half of her heart was falling for the man who was dying in her arms. Damon.<em>

_She scooted down his body so she was level with his face and she pressed her lips lightly against his. His lips were wet with sweat and he remained motionless under her, but she knew he felt it. She pulled away and saw the corners of his mouth twitch upward in the smallest of smiles._

_"Thank you," he whispered, his voice was hoarse from the pain he had endured._

_"Well it's me you should be thanking," she heard herself say, but it actually wasn't her at all. She turned quickly and saw herself standing in the doorway with a satisfied smirk on her face. Katherine. The name bounced around in her head as if it had been said out loud. They spoke briefly about why she was there and where Stefan was. But her final words echoed in the room._

_"It's ok to love them both. I did."_

Elena woke with a start. She looked around her dark empty room and found nothing out of the ordinary. Her hair was sticking to her sweaty face and her heart was still beating furiously in her chest. It was a dream unlike any she had, but the scene felt so familiar. She tried to grasp the memory, but it was quickly fading into the dreamy sequence her mind conjured up. It felt fuzzy, but one thing remained fully intact and clear as day.

Katherine.

In her dream the woman was a mirror image of herself. They had the same everything, voice, hair, body. Nothing was different except for the way the other woman held herself. She strutted instead of walking, smirked instead of smiling, and her eyes were as cold as ice. She was the spitting image of Katherine and the idea was preposterous, but yet somehow her mind wasn't that surprised, like it was an everyday occurrence.

Her words bounced in Elena's head on repeat and at full volume. It's ok to love them both. I did.

She was not Katherine. She would not love them both. Hell, she didn't even love one of them. But after her dream, she was determined. She would never be Katherine.

She could never be Katherine if she didn't love either of them.

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><p><strong>I've been trying to capture the fact that Jeremy said when he was compelled it didn't take away the emotions, he still felt sad and empty and didn't know why, so I hope I'm conveying those alright. <strong>

**Ok I did this on my other fic, Pretend You Love Me and I want to do it here:**

**So since you lovely people are just so lovely, I want to do something unique for my reviewers. So when you leave a review (thanks in advance!) I want you to tell me your name (or what you go by on the internet), your twitter (so I can follow you), something about yourself (a hobby, what you do, school, whatever you feel pressed to say), and finally, what you thought of the chapter (obviously!)**

**Because you guys have been amazing x1000 I wanted to get to know you guys personally. So drop a comment! Thanks again you guys, you really are awesome.**

**Twitter: rachellebelle08**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! You are all way too kind. **

**There have been some pretty shady things happening in the FF community and I just want to say that stealing someone's story/idea/words is plagiarism! It's not ok. It's happened to me and it has happened to several authors that are really talented. So if you ever find someone who has stolen an idea from someone and didn't credit the original author, speak up. It's not cool and it's not ok. **

**And I not only want to thank you guys for reviewing, but for being so kind in your reviews. There are authors I know who get so much hate in their reviews and it's so sad. I would like to think if someone doesn't like a story they'd just stop reading. I guess that my story doesn't get read by a lot of people to receive a lot of hate, but it's just so sad. **

**Anyway, that's off my chest and now you can enjoy chapter 6! And Bonnie shows up! (I'm not a Bonnie fan which you will be able to tell pretty quickly. haha)**

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><p>"This sure feels like old times," Caroline mused as she and Bonnie walked into the boarding house.<p>

"It's way too soon to relive those memories," Bonnie groaned, and followed Caroline into the living room where Damon and Alaric were already sitting. They'd called an impromptu meeting earlier that day, claiming it was "Code Red".

"Nice to see you're back in town, Bonnie," Damon said without looking up. He swirled the amber liquid in his glass before taking a swig.

"Can you just tell us why we're here?" Bonnie snapped as Caroline sauntered into the room and poured herself a drink like she lived there.

"Hey, Barbie, hands off the good stuff," Damon chided her before turning to Bonnie, "As I'm assuming, the blonde chatter box informed you on Elena's mighty return?"

Caroline shot him a dirty look as she picked up her glass tumbler and flopped onto the couch next to Alaric.

"She did," Bonnie nodded, getting impatient. Damon set his glass on the side table and leaned forward, setting his elbows on his knees and looking right at her.

"Aren't you the least bit curious as to why and how she is back when she was compelled to stay far, far away from Mystic Falls and anything with fangs?" Damon asked.

"She's the one who chose to leave," Bonnie bit out, crossing her arms over her chest. Caroline let out a dramatic sigh and rolled her eyes.

"You really need to get over that, Bonnie," she glared at her estranged friend. The moment they graduated Bonnie was out of Mystic Falls as fast as her car would take her. She wanted nothing to do with them after so much happened to her to keep Elena alive.

"You want me to get over the fact that after we all risked our lives to save her, the second the coast was clear she high-tailed it out of here?" Bonnie almost yelled.

"You seem to be forgetting all the stuff she went through. She lost every person she ever saw as a parent. I don't blame her for wanting to forget," Caroline defended. Caroline had a lot of annoying characteristics, but her loyalty was what Damon admired most about her and why he had put up with her when Elena wasn't around.

"Well, some of us don't have that luxury," she said, resentment evident in her tone.

"Oh, give it a rest, Bonnie," Caroline said dramatically before taking a long drink from her tumbler.

"Ladies, please, can we focus on the task at hand here?" Damon felt the need to step in before any witchy headaches could be dished out. He turned to Bonnie, "It's not her fault your Grams died, it's mine. I'm the one who wanted in that tomb, remember? So if you want to punish someone, punish me, not her." He felt the need to defend Caroline, after the past three years they'd spent mostly together, she'd grown on him. Only he was allowed to pick on her.

"I don't see what we can do about it," Alaric finally spoke up after being a silent observer. "If she broke through the compulsion and came back, maybe we shouldn't question it. Maybe Stefan still wasn't strong enough to get the compulsion to stick."

Everyone mulled that over for a few tense moments. The thought of Elena breaking through the compulsion was equally exciting and terrifying. It would mean she could potentially reject him even after she remembered all they went through together and who they were to each other.

"Shouldn't we be worried about what could happen if she breaks through more of the compulsion and remembers the things she wanted to forget?" Damon voiced his concern.

"Maybe her subconscious wants to remember now," Caroline shrugged.

"Maybe she never wanted to forget," Alaric said quietly. Everyone's gazes snapped to him.

"What are you saying? That Stefan forced his compulsion on her?" Caroline asked, her face wide with shock. "Why would he do that?"

"To punish me?" Damon shrugged, the thought wasn't all that surprising to him. "If he couldn't have Elena, I couldn't either."

Silence fell once more while everyone mulled that over.

"We don't know that for sure though. I mean, she left that note," Caroline offered.

"It is suspicious," Alaric piped in, "That Stefan blows back into town right after Elena comes back."

Damon grabbed his glass and easily downed the contents, enjoying the way it burned his throat and seemed to keep him grounded. "We know nothing for sure, but we need to make sure she's getting a daily dose of vervain to be safe."

Ric nodded and told Damon he would get on it. He and Bonnie left shortly after their conversation ended, but Caroline stayed around, obviously wanting to fish for something.

"Is there something you needed, Caroline?" Damon asked, slightly annoyed. He leant back into the couch and rested his head back on the edge with his eyes closed.

"Just wanted to see how you are doing with Elena back," she said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

His eyes snapped open and he lifted his head to study her. She was definitely waiting for something juicy. He just answered her with a sigh.

"It doesn't matter, Stefan got into her head by telling her about Katherine. Now she won't talk to me," he said sadly.

Caroline stood awkwardly for a few moments before sitting on the couch next to him.

"What will you do if she remembers?" She whispered.

"I have no idea," he breathed as he dropped his head in his hands.

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><p>She was miserable. She thought she did the right thing by pushing Damon away. She didn't want to be in the middle of whatever war he and his brother were having. She told herself that was the only reason she pushed him away. Not because she was scared of how she felt around him, not because he was replacing the man in her dreams, not because her heart leapt out of her chest at the sight of him, no, definitely not because of that.<p>

She carried on as if he didn't affect her. She got a job at a bookstore in the town square. It wasn't ideal, but she couldn't complain. The store was quiet most of the day and she was free to read or write to her heart's content. She spent most of her shifts writing about her strange dream in her journal. Like the dream she had with the man, this dream was slowly becoming more and more detailed. She knew for sure the dying man she was holding was Damon. She knew that the woman called Katherine looked just like her and even sounded like her. The scene that unfolded was always the same, but became more real as the nights went on. They were intriguing and confusing.

Her head snapped up from her journaling when she heard the bell ring signaling that someone came into the store. She almost groaned out loud when she saw who it was.

"Hey," Stefan said sheepishly, shoving his hands in his pockets. His eyes were avoiding hers and he looked like someone kicked his puppy.

"Can I help you?" She said with a little more irritation than she intended.

"Just wanted to see how you are doing," his eyes finally met hers and stayed for a brief second before he looked away shyly.

"Look, Stefan," she sighed. She was feeling guilty for the way she had treated him and for judging him so harshly. "You seem nice and all, but I have no interest in being in the middle of this feud you have going on with your brother."

"I actually came to apologize about that. I should've let him tell you about her. I hope I didn't ruin things for you two," he said meekly. She wondered if maybe he wasn't so bad. Her mind didn't think so, but her heart was still panicking in his presence.

"There was nothing to ruin it was one date," she muttered as she absentmindedly fiddled with some books that were out of place. She could feel Stefan following her, but she tried her hardest to pretend he wasn't there.

"How about I take you out to apologize. Maybe over dinner?" Stefan asked after a few quiet moments. She swiveled around to face him, not bothering to mask her shock. It took her a few moments to get herself under control.

"Look Stefan, I'm really not interested," she said softly, trying not to set him off. Something changed in his eyes that frightened her and she moved to walk past him, but his hand shot out and grabbed her arm. She had a flashback to the other day in the Grille.

"I think you are," he said in a monotone voice once her eyes locked with his. She felt frozen under his gaze and the notion felt familiar. She couldn't place it, but her mind was fighting it with everything it had.

Did she want to go out with him?

No. She surely didn't.

Yet she had this nagging voice telling her that it would be ok, that's what she wanted.

She didn't want that. She knew she didn't. So she pushed that pressing feeling away for good and turned her death glare on Stefan.

"And I think you need to get the hell away from me," she said as she ripped her arm from his grasp. His face was shocked to say the least. He looked like a spoiled child who was just told "no" for the first time in his life.

Without another word his stormed out of the store in a huff and she couldn't silence the giggle that bubbled in her throat. What a pansy, she thought.

When she finished her shift at the store, she trudged up the stairs of the porch. Her senses were assaulted when she pushed the front door open and the smell of delicious food overwhelmed her. The stress of her day faded when the scent hit her nose. Her steps got lighter as she moved closer to the kitchen. It was like someone knew she had a horrible day and that good food was just what the doctor ordered.

However, the doctor did not order said food to be made by Damon Salvatore. She froze in the doorway of the kitchen and watched him move around it like he lived there. And he was humming. Humming! In her kitchen, in her house!

"Hey, Elena," she turned to see Meredith striding past her and into the kitchen. She smiled at Damon before she picked up a glass of wine and walking into the sitting room to flop on the couch. Did she not care that Damon was there? He was there cooking.

She knew the second his eyes were on her. She could feel them looking her up and down appreciatively. She wanted to pretend she didn't see him. She wanted to turn and run to her room, but he seemed like the type to come up and get her himself. And Damon inside her room was a very, very bad thing. The thought alone sent blood rushing to her cheeks.

So instead of being a coward she forced herself to look right at him and speak up. "Need any help?"

Damon's features flashed a look of shock before he quickly covered with a smug grin. It was the first time they'd spoken in weeks. Sure, he was at her house all the time helping with wedding things, but she firmly ignored him. He tried to taunt her, but after a while of not responding to him, he stopped trying.

"Food's almost ready, but you can set the table if you'd like," he instructed before he turned back to the stove.

She said nothing as she went to the cabinets and pulled plates and walked over to the table to lay them out. She went to get silverware and watched Damon take his pot of whatever he was cooking and placed it on a hot pad on the table. She counted the amount of knives and forks she grabbed and started moving toward the table and ran right into Damon's body.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said dramatically, holding his hands in the air. She rolled her eyes and moved past him.

"Don't do that," she shook her head as she set the plates on the table.

"Do what?" Damon asked innocently from his place by the stove.

"You know what. That move was deliberate," she said with narrow eyes.

"Well yeah, I was deliberately trying to get to the... sink," he tried to cover, then settled for a satisfied smirk.

She froze when she heard his words. She had a flash of her and Damon in the same situation, but it was like it was from another lifetime. She tried desperately to hold onto the memory, but as quickly as it came, it disappeared. Her mind was reeling.

"Elena?" Damon's voice broke her out of her trance. She shook her head a few times to clear her mind. "Are you ok?"

"Yes, sorry," she said quickly as she distanced herself from him and poured herself a glass of wine to calm her frayed nerves. "I just zoned out, I guess," she said before taking a healthy gulp of the dark liquid.

Ric chose that moment to walk in the front door, breaking the tension in the room in an instant. He greeted the two of them and Meredith and Damon announced that dinner was ready. The conversation over dinner flowed easily. Elena forgot how well her and Damon got along. He always responded to the things she said and she found his stories intriguing. It was becoming harder and harder to remember why she should stay away from him. His proximity was intoxicating. Everything about him drew her in, the way he smelled, his smirk, his black combat boots, his messy hair, and especially, his bluer than blue eyes.

Every fiber of her being screamed to stay away from him, but she couldn't. She just couldn't. The how and why seemed irrelevant in his presence. She couldn't fathom how he'd so easily gotten under her skin. She was always considered the "Ice Queen" to the guys at NYU. She'd date them and dump them, always comparing them to the man in her dreams. None of them could make her feel the way she felt in those dreams. Until Damon came along of course. He challenged everything without even realizing he did it.

If she was being honest with herself, the main reason she reacted so strongly to the information about Katherine was because it hurt. It hurt her to feel second best. She didn't want to be a replacement. She was jealous. Jealous! She never got jealous. Ever.

After dinner, Meredith and Alaric offered to do the dishes and Elena walked with Damon to the door.

"Thanks for dinner, it was amazing," she said as they reached the door. He said nothing but took a step closer to her, effectively trapping her against the wall next to the door. Her heart started beating in her ears and his scent flooded her senses.

"You're welcome," he said in a low voice that made blood rush to her cheeks and other places further south. How could he make a simple sentence sound so sensual? She took a deep breath and she almost slapped herself at how shaky it sounded. By the smirk on his face, he heard it too.

The air around them was crackling and he wasn't even touching her. She didn't know what she wanted from him, but she needed some sort of relief. He was driving her mad with need and it was sad how much she wanted him.

His face hovered closer to her as their eyes locked. She wanted to resist him, so badly, but she couldn't. Her internal struggle waged on, yet she found herself leaning into him. Just as she felt his breath on her face he pulled away with a satisfied smirk firmly embedded on his lips.

"Goodnight, Elena," he said in a husky voice before he looked her over once more and disappeared out the door. She was frozen against the wall, trying to wrap her mind around what exactly had transpired. She couldn't understand what was going on with her body, everything was buzzing and it felt like her nerve endings were on fire with no sign of relief.

Then she realized he did that on purpose. He knew exactly what he was doing tonight. He wound her up and then left her high and dry. Her pulse was pounding all over her body. She knew he was pretty damn proud of himself for that one. If he thought he could affect her so strongly, he had another thing coming.

Two could play that game. And oh, how she could play that game.

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><p><strong>Thanks again for reading! Reviews are love!<strong>

**Shameless self-pimping; follow me on twitter: rachellebelle08**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello! Thank you all so much for your kind reviews! I'm so happy you all love this as much as I do. **

**I'm not quite sure how I feel about this chapter, but I wouldn't post it if I didn't think it was up to par. So I hope you all like it!**

**Please excuse any mistakes. It's late and I proofread, but not as well as I normally do.**

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><p>"<em>I just have to say it once, you just need to hear it," Damon said as he placed his hands on her upper arms. She was frozen under his gaze and her heart responded to his closeness immediately.<em>

"_I love you, Elena," he finally said. "And it's because I love you that," he paused for a moment as if he was searching for just the right words, "I can't be selfish with you. Why you can't know this. I don't deserve you, but my brother does." _

_She felt the sting of tears behind her eyes at his words. Then he took a step closer to her as if he was going to kiss her. In that moment, that was all she wanted, no matter how wrong it was. Instead, he placed the softest of kisses to her forehead before pulling back to look her in the eye. _

"_God, I wish you didn't have to forget this," he whispered as his fingers tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "But you do." His eyes held hers for a long moment before she closed her eyes._

Her eyes snapped open and she realized she was in her room, the same room that was in her dream. Every night that dream became more and more real. It almost felt like a memory. She could almost remember what events led up to that moment in her room. The memory would float into her mind and then disappear as quickly as it came.

She threw herself out of her bed with Damon on the forefront of her mind. She was so confused. She felt like she knew him, really knew him and that he was someone she could trust. Yet, Stefan's words still echoed in her mind. He loved Katherine and she looked like Katherine. She wanted to push him out of her life, but her heart was not going to let her. She still wanted to be near him, to talk to him, to bicker with him. She wanted to have the same effect on him that he had on her. She hated not being in control of her emotions.

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><p>He was listening to the busty blonde talk his ear off about God knows what. He really didn't care, but she was easy on the eyes and after everything that happened with Elena, he could use an easy lay. His old style would just be to feed off her, fuck her, and then probably kill her. However, killing people wasn't as easy anymore with a human conscious.<p>

This game he was playing with Elena was a dangerous one. He wanted her just as much as he did as a vampire, maybe more with the way his human emotions reacted to her. He wanted her, he wanted her the way he had her the night before she left. But he needed to be honest with her. It wasn't safe for her to be in the dark about her past. He was afraid. Damon Salvatore was afraid. He didn't want her to go running in the other direction, he didn't want her to leave again. Even if he could only stare at her from afar, he'd settle for that.

He felt her presence as soon as she entered the building. He turned to see her and his eyes almost bulged out of his sockets. She was wearing jeans that fit like a second skin and disappeared into boots that started just below her knees. She had a shimmery tank top on with a black leather jacket over it. Her hair had a slight curl to it. He almost would have thought it was Katherine who just walked in if it wasn't for the way she wobbled slightly on her stilettoed boots. Their eyes met and she sauntered over to the bar.

"Hello, Damon," she said as she slid onto the stool next to him, her breasts rubbing his arm as she moved next to him. With her so close, he could see how low cut her shirt was and all he wanted to do was run his fingertips and lips over the swells that teased him.

"Elena," he said as he tipped his glass to her. The blonde next to him let out a dramatic sigh from being ignored.

"I'll have a Bourbon on the rocks, please," he heard Elena order as he turned away from her and back to his new friend. She happily continued whatever story she was telling before and Damon pretended to listen wholeheartedly when instead he was listening to Elena shamelessly flirt with the bartender. He knew exactly what she was doing.

She was driving him mad, but he wouldn't cave first. He could almost hear her frustrations because he wasn't paying attention to her. He smiled to himself when he heard her huff and down the shot that the bartender sweet-talked her into. She was giggling at everything he said, clearly intoxicated.

Abruptly, he stood and held out his hand to the blonde, whose name he learned was Vanessa. "Would you like to dance?"

She smiled enthusiastically and he lead them to the small dance floor- a new addition to the Grille in the past year. He snuck a glance at Elena who was looking right at them- well, she was more shooting daggers at his female companion. Vanessa immediately pressed her body into his as they moved to the music with the other people crowding the dance floor. Elena's eyes locked on his as he continued to gyrate against Vanessa. He could almost see the anger tinting her cheeks pink before she turned her attention back to the bartender and flirted with him earnestly. He leant up onto the bar and crossed her arms under her chest, clearly giving him a show. Damon felt the possessive beast in him trying to claw its way out. He knew she was just doing it to piss him off, but it was working. She was his, whether she knew it or not. He took his eyes off her and gave his dance partner all his attention as she shamelessly ground her body on him.

Suddenly, everyone's attention moved to the bar and he heard men's voices cheering. He looked up to see- a totally smashed- Elena dancing on the bar. She looked sexy as hell up there, but he knew she was wasted. She'd be so embarrassed come morning and she remembered what happened. He stopped dancing immediately and pushed his way through the crowd of people to Elena.

"Elena, get down!" He yelled over the music at her. She glanced at him and shot him a smirk identical to his.

"Go away, Damon!" She said before she started dancing again.

"Dammit, Elena!" He cursed. "Don't make me come up there!"

She continued ignoring him, so he sucked up his pride and climbed onto the bar with her.

"Damon! What are you doing?" She screeched at him. He caught her as she swayed on her feet. He couldn't stop his eyes from roaming over her body. She was gorgeous, even while shit-faced drunk.

"We're leaving," he answered as his grip tightened around her upper arms.

"I'm not going with you!" She slurred and swayed again. He took advantage of her confusion and jumped off the bar and pulled her down with him.

"Come, we're leaving," he repeated while he tugged her along with him. He received boo's and dirty looks from the men whose entertainment he just took away.

"Why? Because you're jealous?" Elena asked as she stumbled along next to him.

"No, because I'm embarrassed," he snapped at her once they exited the building. He came to a stop in front of her and her hurt expression made him change his tone, "This isn't you, Elena."

"You don't know anything about me," she snarled as she ripped her arm from his grasp and started walking away with slow, wobbly steps.

"Elena, where are you going?" He asked exasperated.

"Home," she yelled without turning around.

"You're drunk, just get in the car and I'll drive you home," Damon yelled back, ignoring the looks he got from the few people in the lot.

"I don't need anything from you," she swiveled her head around and glared at him.

"Just let me get you home safely, ok?" He said as he held his car door open for her. She mulled that over for a few moments before she caved and stomped over to the car. She said nothing as she slid into the passenger seat.

"Why do you care so much?" Elena said, breaking the tense silence as they drove.

Damon sighed heavily, "We're not getting into that tonight."

"Then tell me why you keep showing up in my dreams," she slurred. His grip tightened against the steering wheel. Someone must have been getting into her mind. That thought sent red hot anger flooding in his veins.

"What happens in these dreams?" He asked, trying his hardest to sound nonchalant.

She shrugged before answering, "It's always the same dream. You show up in my room, tell me you love me, then tell me that your brother deserves me."

He almost had a heart attack right then and there. Was she actually remembering? Was she breaking through the compulsion? He would understand if she broke through Stefan's since he was so much weaker, but Damon had been drinking human blood for more than a century. His knuckles turned white from his grip on the steering wheel.

He didn't know what to say. What could he say? He turned to her only to find her asleep. Relief washed through him. Thankfully he'd be able to dodge that question for the time being. He pulled up in front of her house and got out of his car. He pulled her out of the passenger seat and into his arms before walking her up to the door. Ric's car wasn't anywhere to be seen, so he dug through Elena's pocket and fished out her house key. He pushed the door open and closed it with his boot.

"You are so beautiful," she mumbled as he carried her up the stairs. He looked down at her and laughed. "You should laugh more, it sounds like music," she continued with a silly smile on her face.

"And you are drunk," he responded as he entered her bedroom.

He set her on her bed, but she got up as soon as his arms left her small frame. He turned to shoot her a glare, she was just not cooperating.

"I need to put pajamas on," she said innocently.

"Well, I leave you to it," he said as he moved toward her door.

"Damon?" Her voice was quiet and tired. He turned toward her, his curiosity getting the best of him.

She gave him a mischievous smirk, meeting his eyes dead on, and lifted her hands over her head. He tilted his head to the side and gave her a disbelieving look.

"Elena," he warned.

"Please?" She said while batting her big, brown doe eyes. He sighed and caved. He approached her slowly and pushed her leather jacket off her shoulders. His eyes didn't leave hers as his fingers grasped the hem of her shirt and slowly peeled it off her body. He could hear her heavy breathing and he could almost see her heart pounding in her chest. His eyes couldn't resist roaming her bra-clad chest. She was still perfect, if not more so.

He smiled to himself as he turned away to fish her pajamas out of her dresser. When he turned back she had removed her bra and stood shamelessly in front of him with a sly smirk on her face. Her satisfied look only increased when his eyes widened and landed on her bare breasts.

"Elena," he sighed. Never, ever would he let her get that drunk again.

She closed the distance between their bodies and she looked up at him from under her lashes.

"How do you get in my dreams?" She asked in wonder as her hand caressed his cheek. Rather than wait for a response she rose up on her tip toes and pressed her lips to his. His self control could only handle so much and he gave into her quickly. It had been too long since he had Elena in his arms. Her hands fisted into the fabric of his shirt and pulled him closer.

But when her fingers started to head toward the button on his jeans, his hands reached out to still her questing fingers. He kissed her once more before he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. They stood like that until their breathing returned to a semi-normal pace.

She pulled away suddenly and coverer her chest, realizing how exposed she was. Damon handed her the shirt he pulled out and moved to the far side of her room to let her dress. When he heard her getting into bed behind him, he turned back around. She looked up at him sheepishly.

"Goodnight, Elena," he said quietly and moved around her bed to leave. Her small hand shot out and caught his arm to keep him from leaving.

"Please don't leave me alone," she asked softly. Her pleading eyes almost destroyed his resolve, but come the morning, she'd realize that wasn't what he wanted. He didn't want to deal with that rejection.

"I can't. Come the morning you will regret asking me that," Damon said with a humorless laugh, but when he saw the rejection on her face, he felt horrible. "But how about I stay until you fall asleep," he suggested and that seemed to please her. He sat on the edge of her bed and watched her snuggle into the pillows. As her eyes closed, she looked just like an angel. He allowed his fingers to trace over her soft cheeks. He missed her so much. He wanted so badly to go back in time and stop her from asking Stefan to take her memories away.

He stayed a little while after her breathing evened out; he just couldn't get himself to leave. He wanted to hold her, to kiss her, he just wanted her back. He rose from her bed and placed a light kiss on her forehead before he turned and walked straight out of her house.

She was starting to remember and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. Sooner or later she would need to know the truth and he did not look forward to that day.

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><p><strong>Elena is starting to remember and we'll see more and more of that and soon you'll have an explanation as to why, but it's not that extravagant, if you think hard enough you'll probably figure out why. <strong>

**Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Shameless self-pimping starts... now! Follow me on Twitter: rachellebelle08**


	8. Chapter 8

**Once again thank you for all your sweet words! They keep me going!**

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><p>"<em>What are you doing here?" Her voice was shaking, just like her hands. She felt sick when she heard his dry chuckle.<em>

"_I can smell him all over you. _Inside _you," his voice was low and menacing, bordering on a feral growl. She felt dirty the way he spoke to her, and she felt the answering anger bubble in her. "I knew it was only a matter of time before you'd go running to him." He took a step toward her. She wasn't sure how, but she knew he was talking about Damon. Her anger finally exploded, and her hand flew across his cheek. _

_"You don't get to make me feel guilty. Damon has nothing to do with this. You left. You made a choice and I made a choice to move on. I told you I wouldn't love a ghost and I meant it," she spat at him._

_"I won't let you become Katherine," his voice softened momentarily. _

_"I'm not. Katherine played you both. I made a choice and I choose him,"_ _she snapped._

_The smile that spread across his face made her nauseas, and he closed the distance between them._

_"Elena," he whispered, and cupped her face in his hand. Her eyes met his and she felt a pull that stopped her from averting them._

_"You are going to leave Mystic Falls. Now that the danger is gone, you want to leave it all behind and try to live normally without vampires, witches, and hybrids," his voice was monotone, but the panic flooding through her was anything but. Her head started to pound as fast as her heart._

_"You are going to forget about the past year and a half. You will forget me and Damon. You will forget Caroline is a vampire and that Bonnie is a witch. You will go to a new school in a big city, you will go to college there, and you will never return to Mystic Falls."_

There was a jackhammer pounding on her skull. It was more than pounding, it was obliterating it into a million tiny pieces. She rolled out of bed, desperately seeking water to relieve her parched throat. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she waited for the wave of dizziness to pass before she pushed herself into a standing position and set off in search of water and aspirin.

The smell of bacon hit her hard once she hit the bottom of the staircase. She dragged herself down the hall toward the kitchen and froze when she heard whistling. _Whistling._ Alaric sure didn't whistle and she figured he was still over at Meredith's. It could be none other than...

"Good morning, my little bar-top dancer," Damon's velvety voice caressed her pounding headache, despite the images it conjured. She basked in the soothing balm his voice provided while she was still out of his eye sight. A deep breath filled her lungs before finally taking the last steps into the kitchen. He was clad in his usual black v neck shirt, jeans that fit him just _so good_, and that cocky-ass smile plastered on his lips.

She gave him a painful smile before she turned to ravage the cabinets for the medicinal relief. She got through three cabinets before Damon cleared his throat. She turned to see him nod his head in the direction of the island where a tall glass of water stood and two pills were set next to it.

"Thank you," she said quietly as she downed the pills and three gulps of the perfect temperature water. She sunk onto the stool next to her and watched Damon move around her kitchen like he owned it. She waited patiently, or not-so-patiently, for the pounding on her brain to subside. She groaned and dropped her head in her hands.

"Your 'Coyote Ugly' stunt not treating you well this morning?" Damon asked as he filled two plates full of food.

"Please stop reminding me," she groaned into her hands. She heard his throaty- and sexy as hell- chuckle as he moved their plates onto the kitchen table. The delectable smells from the table got her off the stool and into the chair in front of her plate.

They ate in silence, and with every bite, she could feel the effects of her hangover waning. The food he made was divine and she had to remind herself not to moan out loud with every mouthful. His smug smirk was enough reason for her to bite her tongue.

"So how much do you remember from last night?" Damon asked after they both cleared their plates.

"Everything. I was drunk enough to get a killer hangover, but not enough to forget what happened," she groaned, still not meeting his eyes. After a few awkwardly quiet moments, Damon got up and gathered their dishes before heading to the sink. With her head feeling better, she got up and stood next to him at the sink. She pulled a spare towel from a drawer nearby and started drying the dishes as he finished washing them.

As she set the last plate in the drain rack, she turned to him and looked him in the eye for the first time that morning. "Damon?" Her voice came out smaller than she wanted it to.

He eyed her expectantly, but said nothing, waiting for her to continue.

"Thank you," was all she said, but he knew exactly what she meant. His eyes traveled over her face and finally locked on hers.

As he slowly leaned close to her, she knew what was coming and she didn't want to fight it one bit. Her dream kept playing in her mind. _Katherine played you both. I made a choice. I choose him._

So when he paused just a breath away from her lips, she didn't hesitate to mold her lips to his. Where the night before she was in a drunken stupor while kissing him, there in the kitchen, her mind was haze free and allowed her to truly feel his talented lips moving against hers. His arm snaked around her waist and pulled her flush against him, while her hands clutched the front of his shirt, desperately trying to hold onto reality. Her heart was pounding and her stomach was fluttering. His hand cupped her cheek to tilt her head so he could deepen the kiss and her knees went weak.

"Elena?" A voice called from the hallway. They jumped apart as if they'd been burned. She worked to get her breathing back to normal as the intruder entered the kitchen. She caught a glimpse of Damon's awestruck face and a wave of satisfaction rolled through her that she seemed to have the same effect on him as he did on her. Her jaw went slack when she finally laid eyes on the figure in the entryway.

"Jeremy!" She squealed, and launched herself at her little brother.

He stumbled back as he caught her in a hug. It had been way too long since he saw his sister.

"What are you doing home?" She asked when she pulled back.

"It's summer, 'Lena," he smiled at her. His gaze lifted over her shoulder as he added, "Hey, Damon."

Elena's head snapped to Damon and then back to Jeremy, then back to Damon. He almost laughed at how comical she looked.

"You two know each other?" Elena asked finally.

"Well yeah," Jeremy shrugged. "I've only been at school for nine months, I'm not the one who's been gone for three years." His eyes bulged briefly when he realized what he said.

Elena, however, didn't seem phased as she punched him in the arm, "Rub it in."

Jeremy had been informed the moment Elena walked into their house. He wasn't surprised that she was back. His sister was strong, there's no way she'd really be able to stay away, no matter if she was compelled or not. Seeing her in the kitchen with Damon proved that she was not meant to be away from him.

He had a hunch as to what was happening in the kitchen before he walked in. He figured that Damon was elated to have Elena back, and Jeremy was happy for him. They grew close through all they went through the past five years. Damon was kind of a big brother to him. He trusted Damon with his sister.

As much as she wanted to stay and talk to Jeremy, the clock was telling her she had somewhere else to be.

"I really want to catch up, but I have to meet Meredith at the bridal store for my final fitting," Elena told Jeremy with another quick hug.

"We'll talk later," Jeremy said with a smile as she disappeared down the hall.

Damon was about to say something to Jeremy when Elena popped back into the kitchen.

"Damon?" She asked quietly.

"Yes, dear?" He said with a smirk which only grew when she shot him a pointed look.

"Can you give me a ride to my car?" Her cheeks flooded with the pink that only made her more beautiful.

"Sure thing," Damon nodded. He gave Jeremy a pat on the shoulder as he passed. "Good to see you again, Jer."

"I'll see you later," Elena called from the front door.

She headed straight to Damon's car, but as she went to open the door, Damon grabbed her hand, effectively stopping her. He spun her around and pressed her into the side of the car with his body. His eyes took in her flushed face with much satisfaction.

"What are you doing?" She whispered shakily. Her eyes were lost in his and it was making breathing rather difficult.

"Continuing where we left off," he replied just before his lips latched onto hers. She responded immediately, tangling her fingers into his hair and holding him firmly against her. He gently pulled her bottom lip between his teeth, successfully coaxing a moan from her. He took advantage of her parted lips and his tongue moved past them to explore the warmth of her mouth. Her tongue danced and wrestled against his like they had been doing it for years. His lips glided across hers, creating the perfect amount of friction. His hands ran over the soft curves of her sides. She was addicting and he couldn't get enough.

He pulled back slightly so they could both catch their breath. Her hands relaxed in his hair and slid over his shoulders until they rested on his chest. She was astounded by the way they fit together. His arms held her close to him, but they didn't crush her. His hands fit hers perfectly. She briefly wondered what they would be like in bed together, but when her breathing started to pick up again, she had to banish the thought to calm herself down.

"Great, I'm going to be late now," she groaned when she realized they spent more time outside than she thought.

"Why don't you just let me drop you off and I can take you to your car after you finish." His soft tone caught her off guard. He looked more vulnerable than she'd ever seen him. She was speechless so all she managed was a jerky nod before he opened the passenger door for her. She gave him a small smile before sliding onto the warm leather seat.

* * *

><p>"You made it on time by the skin of your teeth," Caroline said with a shake of her head as Elena skidded through the front door of Beth's Bridal Boutique, aka, The Only Bridal Store in a Thirty Mile Radius.<p>

"I know, I know, but Jeremy just got into town and I got..." she tried to find an appropriate word to use, "distracted."

Caroline shot her a knowing look. "And you needed Damon to drop you off to get here on time?"

Elena froze mid step and gave Caroline a sheepish half-smile. "He was at my house this morning. He made breakfast," Elena explained. Caroline's eye brows sky rocketed, to which she almost shrieked, "Nothing happened!"

"I thought you were still upset about that Katherine thing," Caroline said tentatively.

"I think you were right, I was making it a bigger deal than it was," Elena said. After she found out about Katherine and after the dream she had, she called the only person she felt like she could talk to. She told Caroline everything, about the dreams, about Damon, about Stefan. Caroline had been more than supportive and listened to everything Elena was going through. She wanted to tell Elena the truth so badly that she had to bite her lip to keep from spitting it out. Elena wanted those memories gone for a reason, she wouldn't violate that.

"Like I said before, Damon's rough around the edges, but I approve," Caroline said with a wink as Meredith came around the corner.

"Oh good, Elena, you're here!" Elena's response was cut off by Meredith dragging her into the her own fitting room.

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><p>The fitting went off without a hitch. Her navy Maid of Honor dress fit perfectly, which was a relief with the wedding right around the corner.<p>

"You need a ride home?" Caroline asked as they exited the store.

"No, Damon's on his way," Elena said with a mild blush.

"Figures." Caroline rolled her eyes playfully. Elena laughed and hugged her friend goodbye, then watched her drive off.

"Hello, Elena," a voice came from behind her. She turned and jumped when she saw who it was.

"What are you doing here?" She asked suspiciously.

"I see you are still spending time with Damon," Stefan continued as if she hadn't said anything at all.

"It's really not of your concern. He just gave me a ride," Elena said defensively, casting a glance around the empty lot for any sign of Damon.

"My brother is dangerous. He's done terrible things. He shouldn't be trusted," Stefan said just as she saw Damon's car down the road. She turned to tell Stefan off, but he was gone. She looked around trying to figure out where he went.

"Everything ok?" She didn't even realize Damon had pulled up beside her until his voice hit her ears.

She shook her head before turning to face him, "Perfect."

"What are you up to the rest of the day?" Damon asked as she slid into his car and inhaled the intoxicating scent.

"No plans," she shrugged.

"Would you like to spend the rest of the day with me?" He asked, his voice sounded just a tad bit vulnerable.

She looked over at him and smiled, "Sure, I'd like that."

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><p><strong>I'd like to thank Carol, again, for letting me bombard her with possible plot ideas. I was thinking this fic would stay on the shorter side, but I'm not so sure that's the case any longer. <strong>

**For those reading both of my stories: Pretend You Love Me will be updated early next week. Unless I write it faster. **

**Follow me on Twitter: rachellebelle08**

**Reviews are love! I know I haven't been responding, but I figured you guys would like me to spend that time writing! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello again! Thank you all for reviewing this story. You are all so fantastic. And thanks to Daisy for lighting a fire under my butt to get this chapter done. I needed it! Once I forced myself to write, it all kinda fell out of me. Thanks to Carol for letting me spam your inbox with emails about this chapter and the whole story really. And thanks to my beta, Jenn. She's awesome and always finds the little things I overlooked. You are all amazing. **

**Enjoy. **

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><p>"This is what the famous Damon Salvatore does in his free time?" Elena said skeptically. They spent the evening laughing and swapping stories. She told him stories of her adventures in college. Just as her stomach started growling, the door bell rang and Damon disappeared to answer it, only to return with a pizza box in hand.<p>

"Yes," Damon said defensively, "What were you expecting?" He set the box down on the coffee table in front of her.

"I don't know," Elena shrugged. She watched his back as he left the room

"Strip poker with a sorority maybe?" she suggested when he reappeared with plates and napkins in one hand and a six-pack of beer in the other.

"That can be arranged," he said with a wink and she felt a shiver go down her spine. She tried to hide it, but it was no use. Thankfully, he took it the wrong way and crossed the room to turn on the fireplace. The warmth from the flames instantly heated the small library. The fire was the last thing she needed; she was already trying to extinguish the fire that Damon lit in her veins.

Damon flopped down on the couch next to her while she piled her plate with pizza. His eyes flicked between her face and the stack of pizza slices on her plate.

"What?" she asked when she noticed his gaze.

"Hungry much?" he laughed, glancing at her plate.

"Damn straight," she said firmly, but with a smile on her lips. He let out a hardy laugh before filling his own plate and leaning back into the couch.

"What was she like?" Elena asked after several silent minutes. She could tell he knew exactly who she was talking about by the way the muscles in his jaw tensed.

"Beautiful," he settled on after a few long moments, "A lot like you in that department."

There was something in that sentence that struck a memory. She knew she had heard that before. She could swear it.

"Did you love her?" she asked in a small voice, hating the way every word dripped with jealousy.

"I thought I did," he said simply. His eyes locked with hers as his voice dropped, "But it appears as if I was wrong."

Her heart somersaulted at the implications. Or at what she _thought_ he was implying.

"Which one of you dated her first?" she asked while shaking off the feeling that she'd had this conversation before.

"I think that you'll get a different answer depending on whom you ask." The way he said it signaled the end of that particular conversation.

Before she could steer their conversation back to safer ground, the shrill ring of Damon's phone broke through the awkward tension.

"You rang?" Damon said, without checking the caller ID.

"Be there soon," he said quickly before he hung up.

"I'm so sorry - I have to run out for just a little bit," Damon stood. "But make yourself at home. I'll be back in a half hour or so."

He disappeared without another word. She looked around the room awkwardly while she took a sip of her beer. Glass in hand, she stood to examine the books that lined the shelves. She'd always had a thing for books. She let her fingers glide across the worn spines.

Something about the boarding house was so familiar to her. She felt safe there, just like she felt with Damon. The giant house felt more like home than her own house did. Being with Damon was unlike anything she'd ever experienced with a man, yet somehow, it felt like she had been with him for years. There was something so familiar about his gaze, his cocky smirk, and his bad boy persona.

He reminded her of the man in her dream. The dream that had slowly stopped coming at night, the dream that she slowly replaced with thoughts of Damon. The same dream that was also being replaced with other dreams that felt as real as that one had been. She wasn't one to believe in the supernatural, but she often felt like those dreams were memories. They felt so real and the emotions she felt in them stuck with her even after she woke up.

Her legs carried her out of the library on their own accord. Her hands stretched out to touch every surface within arm's reach, almost as if she would awaken and it would all disappear just as her dreams did. Her feet led her up the massive staircase. Her hand glided along the banister as she took each step.

Once her feet hit the landing, she stared down a long hallway. The thought crossed her mind to go back to the library and wait for Damon. Her mind told her not to snoop, but her curiosity got the best of her. It was like she knew this house. It was like she knew the second door on the right would lead to a large bedroom with baubles and antiques everywhere. She was through the door and into the room before she thought twice about it. Everything about the eclectic room felt familiar to her, even down to the smell. Things were a little dusty, as if it hadn't been disturbed in a while. Her fingers grazed across the books on a little beat up table. There were candles that were half melted, and every piece of furniture looked like they belonged to separate centuries.

Her fingertips slid across the ancient armoire. The doors creaked open to reveal shelves that were packed full of books. Each book was labeled with a year. One specific title called to her; her hands drifted toward it and she weighed the worn book in her palms. When she opened the cover and leafed through the pages, she realized she was holding a journal. With her interest piqued, she sat in the nearest chair and flipped to a random page.

_September 1, 1864_

_Damon returned from war today. While I am happy to have my brother home, I am saddened that I will have to, once again, share the affections of Miss Katherine. I have been fortunate to have her to myself this summer. She is different from any woman in this town. She is vibrant and her laughter is infectious. Sometimes I find myself dreaming about her soft, chestnut curls. Oh, how I love to run my fingers through them! I think she likes it too, although she would never say as much. Miss Katherine is very private with her thoughts. One day I hope to know what she thinks about._

She pulled the book away from her face, completely stunned. Damon. Katherine. Sharing the affections of Katherine? Her confusion led her to flip past a few pages and settle on another entry.

_September 21, 1864_

_Miss Katherine told me her secret. I had never felt fear like I did in that moment. I wanted nothing but to get away from her, to be nowhere near her, but she looked me in the eye and told me that I would not be afraid. I am not afraid. _

_I love her. _

_I do not know if she loves me in return, but I do feel as though she feels more for me than Damon. And that is all that matters to me._

_September 30, 1864_

_I want to be like Miss Katherine. I want to love her for eternity. She said she would turn me, but I would have to be patient. I am not patient when it comes to Miss Katherine. As do I dislike sharing her with my brother. She says Damon is only for her entertainment, but I do not like to share. I want her to myself. I want her forever and just her. But I shall be patient. I, Stefan Salvatore, will have Katherine._

She dropped the journal as if it had burned her. Stefan and Katherine and Damon. What are the odds that the Salvatore brothers had descendants who also fought over a woman named Katherine? It was plausible, but something in the back of her mind told her that wasn't the case.

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><p>"You rang?" Damon drawled from his position leaning against the Sheriff's door. Sheriff Forbes would always keep him up to date on the latest vampire activity in Mystic Falls. He couldn't help but notice that she seemed to like him much better now that he was human.<p>

"Damon," she said with a relieved sigh. "Come in."

"What's going on, Liz?" he asked as he took a seat in the chair opposite her desk. "It's been quite a while since we last met like this."

"Six bodies have been drained of blood in a thirty mile radius in the past seven weeks," Liz said seriously, while she shuffled through several manilla folders on her desk.

"Seven weeks ago, Elena came back into town," Damon thought aloud.

"As did your brother," the Sheriff's eyes met his.

His eyebrows sky rocketed. "You think Stefan is behind this?" His brother may have been skittish the past three years, but Damon figured Stefan was just as affected by Elena's decision to leave as he was.

The Sheriff only sighed as she laid six photos on the desk in front of Damon. His eyes studied each one carefully, worry creasing his brow and his heart rate picking up.

"I know it's Stefan," she said firmly while she watched him take in every olive-skinned, doe-eyed brunette in the photos.

"He's turned it all off," Damon said as he stared into the familiar eyes in every photograph.

"He needs to be stopped, Damon," Liz said seriously. "Covering their deaths with an animal attack isn't going to cut it anymore. People are getting suspicious."

"I'm on it," Damon nodded. He left the station abruptly. He could hardly handle the panic building in his chest. He paced in front of his car, the fresh air calming his nerves only slightly. For the past three years, Damon thought his brother was getting himself under control. Sure, he had a hard time controlling himself that night Elena cut herself in their kitchen, but that was nothing out of the ordinary.

He realized now that it was worse, much worse, than he thought.

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><p>"Elena?"<p>

She heard her name being called and she quickly pushed the book back into the armoire and shut the doors. She closed the bedroom door behind her and descended the stairs as fast as her legs would take her.

"Sorry," she said when Damon came into view, "I tried to find a bathroom and got lost."

"If you wanted to see my bedroom all you had to do was ask," Damon said with a suggestive smirk and despite what she read upstairs, blood still flooded her cheeks and set her skin on fire.

"What do you say we find a movie to watch?" he said, looking far too pleased with himself. As much as she wanted to stay with him, she knew that there were things she needed to sort out and Damon's presence did not allow her to think objectively.

"Actually, I think I should be getting home," she said lamely. She knew he saw right through her half-baked excuse, but he said nothing. Instead, he grabbed her purse off the entryway table and handed it to her before escorting her to his car.

They drove in silence. Elena was still mulling over the information she found earlier. She wasn't sure she trusted herself to hold a conversation with him without asking him about what she found. She would ask him when the time was right.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow night?" Damon turned and asked her once they pulled up next to her abandoned car.

"Tomorrow?" she turned to return his gaze, but the intensity of it had her looking away the next second.

"The bachelor/bachelorette party that Alaric and Meredith practically planned for us," he said with a chuckle.

"Oh, right," she said awkwardly. "Thanks for the ride and dinner."

"No problem," he said with a tight smile. He knew something was up - he wasn't an idiot.

She wordlessly exited his car and dug around in her purse for her keys.

"Elena!"

She heard him call her name just as she unlocked her door. She turned to see him walking toward her like a predator stalking its prey. His car door was wide open with the engine still running, but he clearly didn't care.

He said nothing more as he marched right up to her, took her face between his hands, and pressed his lips against hers. His kiss almost brought her to her knees there was so much passion in it. It was as if he was trying to make his mark on her so she'd never be able to walk away. Like he was afraid she'd walk away.

When his lips coaxed hers open and he slipped his tongue into her mouth, she lost all ability to create coherent thoughts. She couldn't stop the moan that left her throat as she pressed her body into his. Her hands rested comfortably on his waist and his hands moved to tangle into her hair.

All too soon, he pulled away so she could catch her breath and she had to stop her hands from fisting his shirt and pulling him back into her. He leaned his forehead against hers and chocolate eyes met blue.

"Goodnight, Elena," he said softly. His face looked so openly happy to be there with her and it made her heart soar. He pulled back and successfully set his infuriating smirk back into place. His eyes roamed her body one last time and turned to walk back to his car.

She stared after him, totally awestruck. His jeans fit him just right, and he walked as if he knew she was watching. Which she was, shamelessly. She had to get her thoughts sorted out and he was not making it easy.

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><p>"<em>What are you?" she asked after the door swung open. Her heart was pounding and her hands were shaking uncontrollably. <em>

_Stefan gaped at her in shock, but didn't say a word, forcing her to repeat herself. _

"_What are you?" The panic inside made_ _her voice come out louder than expected._

_His eyes narrowed and his jaw tensed. He took a deep breath before he spoke._

"_You know." It wasn't a question. His whole body was tense as he stared at her._

"_I don't," she admitted. _

"_Yes, you do. Or you wouldn't be here," he said carefully as if he was afraid to scare her off._

"_It's not possible," she shook her head, "It can't be."_

_He inched closer to her, placing the wooden stake in his hand on a shelf by the door. She countered his advances with equal steps away from him._

"_Everything you know," he said slowly, "Every belief you have is about to change." He paused, letting that sink in before speaking again, "Are you ready for that?"_

_She stared at him in disbelief before demanding, once again, "What are you?"_

_He took a long breath and she waited with her hair standing on end for his answer._

"_I'm a vampire."_

She woke with a start. She was covered in sweat, her heart was racing, and her breathing was labored as if she ran a marathon. Her dream was so real. Every moment, every breath she took, she swore it happened before. She quickly showered, letting the steam of the shower fog her brain for just a little while, and dressed.

The passages she read from the journals the day before echoed in her mind and mixed with the dream she had. It wasn't possible. She was being ridiculous. Wasn't she?

Thinking of the journals, she remembered that she used to journal all through high school and set out turning her entire room upside down, searching for anything that would shed some light on what she was experiencing.

She dove under her bed, ravaged her dresser drawers, removed every book from her bookshelf haphazardly. Still nothing. She sat back on her heels in the middle of her room and took a deep breath, desperate to clear her mind.

Then she remembered where she would always hide her journal when she was younger. She jumped to her feet and onto her bed as she carefully pulled the painting above her bed away from the wall. Sure enough, a small leather book fell onto her pillows. She flipped through the first few pages of the diary. She skimmed the words on each page, finding things she remembered clearly from when her parents passed. She skipped entries, barely registering the words as she tried to find some answer. Her brain was so scattered she could hardly read.

Then she flipped to an entry with no date, just hastily scribbled words.

_Dear Diary,_

_I'm not a believer. People are born, they grow old, and then they die. That's the world we live in. How can I deny what's right in front of me? _

_Someone who never grows old. _

_Never gets hurt._

_Someone who changes in ways that can't be explained. _

_Girls bitten. _

_Bodies drained of blood._

She threw the book on the floor as tears flooded her eyes. Without a spare thought, she grabbed her keys and rushed out of her house. She could barely drive with the way her tears blurred her eyes. She pushed the speed limit, her mind only focused on one thing: answers.

Her brakes screamed with the force she used to slam on them. She pulled her keys from the ignition and raced to the front door. She pounded on it impatiently, feeling exactly how she did in her dream. Her hands were shaking and her heart was racing. Tears were running rampant down her face. She fiddled with her fingers nervously as she waited for him to answer the door.

The door swung open and she was hit with the vision of him, shirtless, standing in front of her. His blue eyes were bright, but immediately darkened when he took in her face.

"Elena?" he asked, confusion shaping his features. "What's wrong?"

Taking a deep breath and repeating the words from her dream, she finally spoke.

"What are you?"

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><p><strong>Elena knows! As you can tell, a lot of those flashbacks and the diary entry came from 1x06. I watched the first scene from that like 4 times to write this chapter.<strong>

**Now I know that Elena read her own journal entry, but in my mind, she's on information overload that she doesn't really think about the fact that she once knew the truth. Just keep that in mind for the next chapter. She'll find out when she needs to find out. Don't you worry.**

**In April I'll be hosting a TVD A2A exchange on TVD Mixing on Livejournal. If any of you readers are also authors, you should check it out.**

_Shameless self-pimping, follow me on Twitter: rachellebelle08 _

**-Chelley**


	10. Chapter 10

**This chapter has given me hell, but suddenly last night the words just came pouring out and now it's over 4,600 words long. Be prepared and I hope you guys like it!**

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><p>"What are you?"<p>

"Elena, please calm down," he said gently, holding his hands in the air in surrender. He took a small step toward her and she took a step away from him.

"What are you not telling me, Damon?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"I will explain everything to you, I promise, but you need to calm down." He took another step closer. He could tell she was on the cusp of having a full on panic attack. Her face was pale, her hands and knees were shaking, and her chest was heaving with her heavy pants.

"Leave me the hell alone," she snarled one second before she turned to run. Damon's hand shot out and caught her forearm just before she took off. He pulled her body flush against his and she shot him daggers with her eyes. His gaze matched hers as he leaned in even closer to her so that their noses were almost touching.

"If you try and run again, I will throw you over my shoulder and carry you inside myself," he hissed at her. She narrowed her eyes further before she let out an indignant shriek and stomped into the boarding house. He pulled out his cell phone from his pocket and sent a quick text; he was definitely going to need back up.

He pocketed his phone and followed her into the house to where she was pacing a hole into the floor. He moved past her and straight to his liquor cart. It was early, but they both could use a drink. He filled two glasses and moved to plant himself right in the path of her pacing. She almost jumped out of her skin when she walked right into him. He smiled at her before handing her the glass tumbler full of his favorite amber liquid.

"It'll calm your nerves," he explained when she scrunched her eyebrows in confusion.

She took the glass with a timid smile, careful not to touch him, and sat down on the couch. His emotions were all over the place as he took a seat in the chair next to the couch. He took a deep breath and a swig of his bourbon before he angled himself to face Elena. Her hands were shaking so severely that the amber liquid in her tumbler was threatening to slosh over the sides. He wanted so badly to take her in his arms and just hold her, but he knew he couldn't.

"How much do you know?" he finally asked. Her chocolate eyes met his for a brief second before they returned to the drink in her hands.

"Yesterday, when you left, I found Stefan's journal," she explained quietly, a red tint staining her cheeks in embarrassment.

"Ah, Stefan and his journaling," Damon said with a faux-faraway look. "Which indiscretion did you read about?"

"It was from 1864. He wrote about you and Katherine, and how he wanted Katherine to himself." Her voice shook slightly at the mention of Katherine.

"Selfish bastard," Damon muttered under his breath. "Looks like we are starting at the beginning," he sighed.

Elena said nothing, but her eyes met his once more and told him she was ready to hear it.

"I was born in 1842, Stefan in 1847. Katherine came along as the summer of 1864 was beginning. I was enrolled in the Confederate Army and I reported shortly after she arrived. When I finally came home, she had each of us wrapped around her little finger," he told her as he felt the bitterness rise in his chest. "Katherine was a vampire and she made us both believe that she would turn one and not the other. In the end, she turned us both."

Elena's eyes grew wide as he told the story. "So you're a… a… a vampire?" Her voice dropped to a whisper on her last word.

His lips quirked into a small, sad smile before he spoke, "No, I'm not."

Her brow furrowed into a look of confusion, "But you said…" He cut her off with a shake of his head. "How?" she finally breathed.

"That," another voice came from the entry way, "is an incredibly long and boring story." Elena was shocked to see Caroline come skipping into the living room. She froze as her gaze landed on Damon.

"Seriously?" Caroline cried gesturing to him. "You couldn't put a shirt on?"

Damon was unfazed as he smirked at the blonde intruder.

"What are you doing here?" Elena piped up.

"Damon texted me," she said simply, with a shrug of her shoulders. "Trust me, 'Lena," Caroline said as she flopped on the couch next to her friend, "You don't want to hear that story. It's so long and so anticlimactic." She rolled her eyes dramatically while she snatched the drink from Elena's grasp and downed a few gulps.

"So," Elena began tentatively, looking right at Damon. "You're human?" When he nodded, she turned to her childhood friend and asked, "You knew?" Caroline nodded feebly and took a deep breath.

"Sweetie," Caroline started gently, setting the glass on the table and taking her friend's hands in her own.

"She's a vampire, too," Damon said.

"Damon!" Caroline shrieked, glaring at the blue-eyed man. "I was going to ease her into it!"

"What?" he said defensively. "I like the band aid approach. It's more efficient."

Elena's gaze bounced from one to the other while her mind tried to process what was happening.

"How?" she repeated her question from earlier, only it was directed at the blonde.

Caroline flipped her hair over her shoulder nonchalantly and turned to her best friend. "When you die with vampire blood in your system, you'll wake up. After that, you have about 24 hours to feed on human blood or you die."

Elena's face paled at the mention of feeding on human blood. She shook her head and pushed herself off the couch to pace the floor once again.

"This is impossible!" she cried in an outrage. "God, not to mention delusional!"

"Elena," Damon started, but she cut him off.

"I need to go," she said quickly, avoiding eye contact as she moved toward the door.

"Elena," Damon repeated, he quickly rose from the chair and his hand shot out to grab hers, effectively stopping her from reaching the door. She froze when his soft skin came in contact with hers. She didn't turn around, but she didn't jerk her hand away either.

"Hey," he said softly, his free hand moved to cup her chin and nudged her to look at him. Heartbreak, pain, and confusion were evident on her face and filled her eyes. That one look alone almost broke him and threatened to drop him to the floor.

"Please," she whispered brokenly, "I just need some space."

He moved their intertwined hands over his chest to where his heart was pounding behind his ribs. "I understand you are confused, upset, and probably scared. I know you don't want to be around me, that's why I called Caroline. She's your friend. She's not going to hurt you, I swear it. Please just stay close to her, so she can protect you."

Her gaze moved to the blonde on the couch who was watching them intently with sadness evident in her features. When their eyes connected, Caroline offered her a small smile. He could see the war that was waging in her eyes.

"What is she protecting me from?" Elena asked when her chocolate orbs settled back on his.

"My brother," Damon said with a tinge of remorse. "He isn't safe. He's not in control of his..." he paused, searching for a word that wouldn't frighten her more. He finally settled on, "cravings."

He almost kicked himself when he saw tears welling up in her eyes once more. She took a step backward and out of his grasp, shaking her head jerkily.

"I can't do this," her voice came out as a broken whisper.

He let her go without a word, watching her back until she disappeared on the other side of the front door. He let out a long breath, his hands settling on his hips, and his head dropping.

"Did I just ruin everything?" he wondered out loud.

"She knew once before and she was ok with it," Caroline said calmly. "Just give her time. She'll come around. She's still Elena and she's still strong."

Her words resounded in his mind even after she left to keep watch on Elena. She had loved him once, despite being a vampire. He had never seen her look so broken as she did right before she left. His fist went flying into the nearest piece of furniture as hopelessness settled in the pit of his stomach.

What if she never loved him again?

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><p>She thanked her lucky stars when she got home and no one was there. She didn't need to run into anyone when she was so on edge. Did Jeremy know? Did Alaric know? Were they even safe?<p>

She was pacing like a mad woman, she knew.

_Step, step, step, turn._

Damon was once a vampire.

_Step, step, step, turn._

Stefan was a vampire, a dangerous vampire.

_Step, step, step, turn._

Caroline was a vampire.

_Step, step, step, turn._

Vampires weren't supposed to exist outside of really bad novels that turned into even worse movies.

She tried her breathing techniques that she learned in her many yoga classes. She tried to push the thoughts from her mind, but it was no use. All she could think about was vampires, Damon, and how she wasn't all that surprised by the new information she learned. That fact alone was probably what scared her the most. She should've felt more fear when Damon confirmed the truth, not distracted by the muscular lines on his chest or how perfectly messy his hair looked first thing in the morning.

Her emotions were all over the place and when the doorbell rang, she let out a small yelp. She moved quickly to the door, and pulled it open to reveal Caroline on the other side, holding two makeup cases in her hands.

"Are you here to protect me?" Elena asked a little more harshly than she intended.

"No," Caroline responded, unaffected by Elena's tone, "I'm here to be your friend. And I figured we could get ready for the party together."

Elena practically wilted with relief. It was exactly what she needed. She let Caroline in and they locked themselves in her room.

"Can I ask you something?" Elena asked hesitantly as she watched Caroline spread all of her hair and makeup items across the bathroom counter.

She immediately stopped what she was doing and turned to face her friend.

"Of course you can," she said sincerely, "What's on your mind?"

"I should hate him, right?" Elena asked quietly. "I mean, he kept this from me so I should be angry."

"Well, are you angry?" Caroline asked.

"No, I'm angrier at myself for not being angry with him," Elena sighed. "I really don't know what I feel."

"Well, let's talk it out," Caroline said gesturing to the open space between them.

"He scares me," Elena finally whispered.

"I promise you, he won't hurt you," Caroline said sincerely, placing her hands on her friend's shoulders, but she was already shaking her head.

"No, not like that," Elena said with a sad smile. She turned and walked into her room to flop on her bed, with Caroline close behind her. "I've only known the guy for like two months at the most, and yet I think I'm..." she trailed off, too afraid to say it out loud and thus making it real. She never fell easily for guys. She always kept them at arms length, never let them into her heart or into her pants. She wasn't easy and yet she'd fallen totally and completely for Damon Salvatore.

"You think you're in love with him," Caroline finished for her. It wasn't a question or an accusation, her voice held no judgment, just pure understanding.

"Is that crazy?" Elena asked, throwing her hands on her face.

"No," Caroline shrugged. "You and Damon just work." Her explanation was so simple that Elena found the weight on her chest being lifted ever so slightly.

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><p>Four hours later she and Caroline pulled up to the club Alaric and Meredith picked for their joint party. Caroline talked her into a fitted, deep red sheath dress. The hem fell just above her knees and the thick straps kept the low cut front from revealing too much. Her shoes were simple black pumps, her hair flowed freely, and her makeup was expertly done by Caroline.<p>

The party was in full swing when they walked in. The music was loud and the drinks were flowing freely. She made a mental note not to drink too much again. Her eyes unconsciously roamed the room seeking out Damon. If she knew where he was she would be able to avoid him easier, she justified it to herself.

He was laughing with Ric on the other side of the club. He looked good as usual, dressed in a black button down shirt with dark jeans on and a sport coat. As if by some gravitational pull, his eyes met hers. Her gaze lingered a few seconds longer than she liked before she was able to tear her eyes from him.

Maybe she would just have one drink.

Drink in hand, she glanced to where Alaric and Meredith were both standing and talking to Damon. She took a steadying breath and convinced herself she would just go over to say hi to her pseudo-uncle.

She crossed the room easily and stood between Meredith and Damon, forming a small circle between the four of them.

She said a cheerful hello to Alaric and wrapped her arms around Meredith. When she moved back she noticed that Damon was nowhere to be seen. She shot a quick glance around the room and saw him moving through the crowd and stopping to talk to Caroline. Was he avoiding her? She mentally slapped herself for caring. It didn't matter. She needed to stay away from him and figure out her feelings.

An hour into the night she knew for sure that Damon was avoiding her. Anytime she got remotely near him, he moved in the opposite direction. As much as she knew that they probably needed time apart given their circumstance, it infuriated her.

So instead of drinking herself into a stupor, she let out her frustrations on the dance floor. If she thought about it objectively, she knew it was a desperate cry for attention, but she didn't care. All she knew is that she wanted Damon's eyes on her, his hands on her, and his lips on hers. It was ridiculous - she should've been angry with him, she should've been afraid of him, but she wasn't. She missed him and it had only been eight hours since she'd last spent time with him.

She let her hips sway to the bass of the music beating through the speakers and into her veins. Her hair moved in sync with her shoulders. When she felt a pair of hands on her hips, she leaned back into the chest of the man dancing with her. She fed off his energy, not caring where his hands went as long as they held her to the earth. She let the beat take her away, to a safe place in her mind where she was dancing against Damon, where she felt his hands coasting up and down her sides.

She glanced around the club, trying to find the blue eyes that scared her and excited her all at once. She felt her will to dance diminish every moment she didn't catch his icy orbs. She excused herself from the dance floor and headed to the bathroom. She was sweaty all over and was in desperate need of a makeup fix. She entered the dark corridor that led to the bathrooms.

"Having fun?" A melodic voice came from the shadows. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest and she whipped around to face the intruder. His crystal eyes practically glowed in the dark.

"You almost scared the pee out of me!" she panted with her hand over her heart.

His throaty chuckle sent a blast of heat straight to her core. She could feel the air crackling around them and it was nearly drowning her. She felt like she was tossed out to sea in a torrential storm. It was all-consuming, dangerous, exciting, and scary.

"You know I can't take my eyes off of you when you dance?" he said in a low voice. She couldn't see very well, but she could feel him coming closer. Her heart was pounding and her blood was on fire. It was burning every limb and gathering in the pit of her stomach. It was eating her alive and she didn't want to fight it.

"You were avoiding me," she said in a quiet voice, hating every bit how needy she sounded.

"I thought you would want me to avoid you," he said, and despite the fact that she couldn't see his face, she could hear the vulnerability in his voice.

"No," she whispered, afraid that if she spoke too loud that the spell he had cast on her would be broken.

"Then what do you want, Elena?" His voice was low and seductive and she could feel his body hovering just an inch away from hers. She could feel his breath on her face, smell the bourbon on his tongue. He was so close that all she could think about was closing the space between their bodies. She balled her hands into fists to keep from reaching out and running her hand down his chest, feeling his muscles rippling through his shirt. She could smell him; his scent was filling her senses and intoxicating her. Her eyes flicked up to his lips, not daring to continue to his eyes because she knew she would be a goner the second they hit hers.

"You," she finally admitted. That one word hung in the air between them, slowly lighting a fuse that would only result in an explosion. It was only a matter of time. The air was suffocating and liberating. It was on fire, but she still felt a shiver go down her spine. Her eyes finally met his and she could barely stand to be so close to him, yet still so far away.

Then everything exploded.

They came together in a tangle of limbs, lips, skin, and heat. Her back hit the wall behind her, but she felt no pain, only Damon. His kiss was bruising and she loved it. His hands were in her hair, angling her head so his tongue had access to the warmth of her mouth. He tasted like his favorite bourbon and leather and sin. And it was perfect. The more she got of him, the more she wanted. Her hands were on his hips, pulling them to press against hers, craving the delicious friction it provided.

His lips left hers, but before she could whine in protest, they blazed a trail across her jaw and down her neck, pulling a needy moan from deep within her. They moved against each other to the beat of the song pulsing through the club. His lips returned to hers and she tangled her hands in his hair to keep him where she wanted him. His arms wrapped completely around her, molding her body to his.

And then his lips were gone. His arms released her, but rested against the wall on either side of her head, effectively caging her in. She was practically gasping for air, and with every heave of her chest, it brushed against his, only lighting the spark once more. He rested his forehead against hers as he caught his breath as well. It pleased her that she had the same effect on him as he did on her.

"You want to get out of here?" he said, still breathless.

She didn't trust her voice to remain strong enough to tell him, so she settled for a quick nod in agreement.

Her whole body was humming with excitement as he tangled his hand in hers to pull her through the thick crowds and to his car. She shot a quick text to Caroline, letting her know that she left with Damon, fully aware she'd have to give her details next time she saw her, but Elena didn't mind. Damon tore out of the parking lot and onto the street. He nearly doubled the speed limit in his haste to get to the boarding house and she didn't mind one bit. But as they neared the house, her nerves kicked into overdrive.

Her hands were shaking and she was filled with vain thoughts of "will he like?" and "what if I'm not as good as he expects?" She knew it was trivial, but they plagued her mind even as she stepped out of his car and followed him into the dark house. He didn't stop, or turn around; only led her up the stairs and down a long hallway until he stopped outside a large wooden door.

He pushed it open and she crossed the threshold to gaze at the magnificent furniture. The walls were covered in dark wood and the furniture was minimal, save for the California king-sized four poster bed in the middle of the room. She had the childish notion to jump on it. The room so was very him. That thought left her mind as soon as he turned and laid his eyes on her.

The desperate fire that was between them at the club was replaced by a smoldering need in the pit of her stomach, yet it was still as intense as before. The air still crackled between them and she still fought the urge to pull him into her.

He sauntered toward her and she suddenly felt like prey. He looked like he wanted to devour every inch of her and she didn't mind one bit. But there was something different in his eyes. Yes, they still held the same hunger, but they were softer, gentle, loving.

His hand wrapped around the back of her neck to pull her into him and place a chaste kiss to her lips before he pulled away once more. His hands settled on her upper arms before they turned her back to him. He placed a single kiss to the back of her neck before his fingers sought out the zipper to her dress.

The sound of the zipper echoed in her ears as did her heartbeat. She could feel his breath ruffling her hair at the base of her neck. His hands ran up the exposed skin of her back before they pushed the fabric off her shoulders. His hands were soft and firm all at the same time and they left a trail of goosebumps in their wake. With her dress pooling on the floor, she stepped out of it before turning back to him. Brown eyes met blue and the look she saw in them made her breath catch. Her shaky fingers unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders. He gave her a cocky smirk as she tentatively explored his chest with her unsteady hands. Every divot was perfectly sculpted, and every muscle reacted to her gentle touch. It made her feel powerful knowing that she could elicit such a reaction from him.

Wasting no time, her fingers went to the button on his jeans and they were on the floor around his ankles in a matter of seconds. His arms snaked around her waist and pulled her lips to his. Her fingers tangled in his mass of black hair and her legs wrapped around his middle and she felt like she was coming home. He walked them toward the bed, his steps slow and sure, and laid her down on the sheets. They billowed around her before settling once more. He took a moment to admire her, spread out on his bed, her hair on his pillows. It had been so long. It was an image he wasn't sure he'd ever see again. It was an image that had been ingrained in his mind since the day he met her almost four years ago.

Feeling the need to be close to her once more, he trailed kisses up her body and didn't stop until his lips settled against hers once more. She felt like heaven moving against him and there was nothing that could prepare him for the torrent of emotions that flooded through his being. He was still so in love with her. That had never changed and would never change for him.

"Damon," she said his name with pure, unadulterated need. Her voice sent even more blood straight down south and he realized this was his first sexual experience as a human. He was overcome with insecurities, but he tried to push back his nerves as he unlatched her bra and pulled it from her chest.

"Beautiful," he murmured before taking one peak in his hand, and the other in his mouth. She was squirming underneath him in no time and he wasn't sure how long he'd last with her moving against him like that.

He quickly rid them both of their final articles of clothing so that nothing was between them. Her skin pressed against his skin and he reveled in how soft she was. She was finally his again.

The moment he looked into her eyes she was overwhelmed with the feeling that she'd been there before. She'd been with this man before. Everything about him was familiar to her. Gazing into his eyes, she saw the man in her dreams, the man that turned into Damon. And when he slid in to complete her in the most intimate way, she was momentarily stunned by the way they fit together. Like they were made for each other. In that moment, she decided she needed to let the man in her dreams go. He would never make her laugh, he would never hold her when she cried, he would never complete her like the raven haired man above her did. He would never love her. He would never love her like she wanted Damon to.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, wanting to be as close to him as possible. She wanted to crawl into his skin, find a place in his heart, and never leave. He surged within her, bringing her higher and higher until she was floating on the clouds, awaiting that sweet release.

His arms wrapped around her as if she was the only thing anchoring him to the earth. She whispered words of encouragement into the skin of his shoulder, with the nonsensical moans he was only urging her on. She met him with every thrust of his hips until falling over the edge, she screamed his name into his skin until he came with her.

They lay intertwined for what could have been hours, neither one would have noticed. He finally pulled back to extract himself from inside her, but Elena held tight. He chuckled into the nape of her neck and she felt a satisfied smile grace her lips when he surrendered to her.

He couldn't stop the joy that sprang to life inside his heart. He had his Elena back. She was back where she belonged, in his bed, clinging to him like a lifeline. Now that he had her back, he would fight with everything he had to keep her.

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><p><strong>Ugh. *shutters* I get so nervous putting smut-ish scenes up. I don't mind writing them, but I get so nervous when other people read them.<strong>

**Everyone still with me? You didn't tap out on me? You guys are great. Thanks from the bottom of my heart for all your kind reviews. I love that you guys feel as dedicated to the story as I do.**

**Thanks to Jenn, again, for being awesome and catching my ridiculous mistakes. It's further proof that I have no business writing when I'm exhausted. **

You can follow me on Twitter: rachellebelle08

**I hope it was worth the wait!**


	11. Chapter 11

**First, again, I'm going to say THANK YOU for all your kind words. You guys are so supportive that it makes this story very easy to write.**

**And thanks to Jenn for beta'ing this for me. You are awesome!**

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><p>He didn't remember the last time he woke up feeling happy.<p>

Actually, he did know. It was almost three years ago. The morning before Stefan informed him that Elena left without so much as a goodbye.

Stretching his arm out behind him, he searched the sheets for her soft body, but he was only met with the warm spot that she left behind.

A moment of panic arose in his chest. He should have stayed awake to be sure she couldn't slip from his bed. The fear that history may repeat itself was so overwhelming that he didn't hear his bedroom door open and close.

He rolled to survey the empty bed, as if searching for a clue to where she went, and there she stood. She was at the side of his bed, wearing his shirt, holding a tray of food.

"I thought you left," he stated, his voice sounding hideously vulnerable. If she noticed, she said nothing of it, just smiled and shook her head.

"I thought we could use breakfast in bed, since it will be a long day today," she said with a shrug while she set the tray on the bed and crawled underneath the sheets next to him.

He examined the food on the tray, it was piled high with waffles, and there were fresh strawberries, syrup, and juice.

"You really went all out," he teased with a wink as he popped a strawberry in his mouth.

"Breakfast is my specialty," she said while she picked apart a waffle.

They ate in companionable silence. Both not willing to burst the happy bubble they were in.

"So, are you excited for the wedding?" Damon asked after they cleared the tray.

"I'm excited for Ric and Meredith, but I'm not excited about leaving this bed," she admitted in a quiet voice.

"Yeah?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah." She nodded in confirmation.

"What about the whole," he paused for a moment, not wanting to break the calm spell they were under, "vampire thing?"

She sighed heavily.

"I know I should be more freaked out by it," she said honestly, "but somehow I'm not. It's almost as if I knew all along that there was something different about you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and it didn't hurt that you kept showing up in my dreams," she said softly. Her eyes almost bugged out of her head when she realized what she had just admitted out loud.

"I show up in your dreams?" he teased with a smirk and a playful wiggle of his eyebrows, but when she didn't respond with a snarky insult, he knew something was wrong.

"It's nothing, forget I mentioned it," she said quickly, with a shake of her head.

"Elena," he said softly, placing his palm on her cheek to turn her face to his. "You can tell me."

She took a deep breath and finally met his eyes. "Before I even came back I had this reoccurring dream. In it, there was a man in my bedroom telling me that he loved me. Over time it started getting more and more detailed and after I came back to Mystic Falls, the man started turning into you," she finished with a slight blush. She had never told anyone about her dreams in so much detail and she never imagined telling Damon.

To say he was taken aback would be the understatement of the year. She really was remembering, but how? He had so many questions he wanted to ask her, but he bit his tongue, knowing one wrong word would send her running in the other direction.

Instead, he pressed his lips to hers and moved over her, his hips resting between her thighs. She responded to him eagerly and let his weight press her into the mattress. His fingers wasted no time unbuttoning his shirt and pulling it from her body. The sight of her smooth flesh did dangerous things to him. He wanted to take in every inch of her. He couldn't believe she was still in his bed. That she still wanted to be there. It felt like after three years, they finally got it right.

* * *

><p>She was almost one hundred percent sure that Caroline was going to kill her, considering her hair was still damp from the shower she took with Damon. They were so late when they finally arrived at the small resort just outside of Mystic Falls that Meredith chose to hold the wedding at. Late or not, they walked into the resort, hand in hand, while Damon carried her dress and overnight bag, plus his own duffel bag and suit.<p>

They strolled to the front counter so he could check into his room. Elena secretly hoped that she wouldn't end up needing to stay with Caroline in their room. She gazed around the lobby while Damon was still at the front desk.

"Elena?" A voice came from her side and she turned to see her old friend Bonnie.

"Bonnie!" she said excitedly. It had been way too long since she had seen her friend. Elena closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around Bonnie's small frame. Her body tensed when Elena's arms went around her and Elena pulled away immediately, sensing the tension in Bonnie's body.

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked awkwardly, after she took a step back. She couldn't help but wonder if her friend was angry with her for losing touch over the years.

"I got roped into helping decorate," she said with a shrug, trying to act like she didn't feel the tension between them. Elena could see her eyeing her damp hair questioningly.

"Caroline will do that to you," Elena forced a laugh as she stared at her feet.

"Yeah," Bonnie's voice dropped off right as Elena felt a hand on her lower back. Her gaze snapped up to see Damon, with their bags in hand, smiling stiffly at Bonnie.

"Bonnie," Damon greeted curtly.

"Damon," she responded in the same tone and Elena could feel the tension between them.

"I hate to break up the reunion," Damon said before he turned his gaze on Elena, "but you are running very late. Want me to carry your stuff up?"

She gave him a quick nod before turning back to Bonnie. "We really need to catch up. It's been forever."

Bonnie's demeanor remained stock still and her eyes flashed a glare at Damon before turning back to Elena. She tried to force a smile as she replied, "Yeah, sounds good."

"That was awkward," she breathed when Damon escorted her down the long breezeway.

"She doesn't like me very much," Damon said simply.

"Why not?" she asked him as she stopped outside of the room she was supposed to share with Caroline.

"She's just protective of you," Damon replied.

"We haven't talked in three years," Elena said with a confused look. "Why would she be judgmental of who I choose to see?"

Damon wasn't quite sure how he should answer that question, but luckily he was saved by the blonde hurricane ripping the door open.

"Elena, where have you been?" she shrieked, causing both Damon and Elena to cringe.

"And why is your hair still wet?" her voice was reaching decibels that only dogs and dolphins could hear. Damon set her stuff down and tried to slowly back away unnoticed, but to no avail. Caroline's gaze snapped to him and she narrowed her eyes with a glare that would force a lesser man to his knees.

"You," she hissed. "You did this. This is your fault!"

"Hey, don't blame me," he raised his hands in mock-surrender. "I didn't force her to scream my name. Over and over again, I might add."

They both glared at him like they wanted to smack the smirk right off his face.

"Ok," Elena cried, pushing Damon away. "Time for you to leave."

She turned back to Caroline giving her a calculating look.

"What?" Elena asked innocently, fighting the urge to smile.

Caroline's expression was amused as she pulled Elena into the room.

"You dirty little slut."

* * *

><p>Over the past three years, Elena never gave much thought to the idea of marriage. Sure, she wasn't against it. Quite the opposite, in fact. She always saw herself getting married one day, but she figured that would be in her late twenties.<p>

However, as she walked down that aisle, her arm in Damon's, she felt a longing to be the one getting married. Something in her heart wanted her to marry Damon. It was silly and she knew it. They barely met two months ago and sure, they were attracted to each other, they'd slept together, but that didn't mean she loved him. It would be outrageous to think of being in love with that man. She really shouldn't have even given him a chance after she found out the truth about him.

She should've turned and ran in the other direction. She should've been afraid of him, of Caroline even. Yet, there was something familiar about the information, something in the back of her mind telling her that she had heard it all before. She couldn't deny the safety she felt around Damon. Even from the moment they met.

He tried to concentrate on the ceremony, but he found it difficult when Elena was standing right across from him. Her hair fell around her shoulders in waves with pieces pinned back from her face. Her makeup was done flawlessly, only increasing her beauty. Her coral strapless gown clung to her body so wonderfully that it could be considered sinful.

His eyes locked with her watery ones and she gave him a shy smile.

"The rings?" A voice registered somewhere in his mind, but he paid no attention as he shamelessly stared at Elena.

"Damon?" Alaric turned to him and nudged him with his elbow. He finally snapped out of his daze and saw everyone staring at him expectantly. Confusion circulated inside his head for a moment before he realized his one responsibility for the day.

"Oh, right," he said with a smirk as he fished around in his suit jacket. He pulled out the small box holding both rings and handed them to Ric.

Ric gave him a playful glare before turning back to the pastor. His eyes met Elena's once more and he wiggled his eyebrows and shot her a wink.

Damon breathed a sigh of relief after the photographer demanded they take just one more photo, which turned into ten more. He stood at the bar and watched Alaric and Meredith dance their first dance.

The DJ announced that all the guests were invited to join the happy couple on the dance floor and Damon's eyes met Elena's. He immediately put his drink onto the bar and crossed the room, his eyes on her the entire time.

"Would the lady care to dance?" Damon said with a small bow as he held his hand to her.

"I would love to," she responded with a giggle and a courtesy. She placed her hand in his and reveled in the feel of his skin on hers, no matter how small the contact.

He pulled her to the middle of the dance floor and wrapped an arm around her waist, while the other held her hand close to his heart.

She loved the way he felt pressed against her. His body was so strong and warm. As the music played, she laid her cheek against his chest. He expertly led them around the dance floor. She let herself get swept up with him. She couldn't deny that he was an amazing man. He held her like he couldn't get enough of her, like she anchored him to the earth.

"You look stunning tonight," he said in a low voice in her ear, his breath sending goosebumps across her skin. "If it isn't obvious."

She smiled into his suit jacket, butterflies erupting in her stomach. They danced together for several more songs, not wanting to let the other go. But she detached herself from him to make a much needed bathroom break. She left him with a coy smile and a promise that she'd be quick.

She maneuvered through the crowd until she found the bathroom door. She pushed it open and found it empty. She moved to the mirror to check up on her makeup when she heard the door swing open.

"I'm shocked you finally chose between them." A heavily accented voice came from behind her. She caught sight of the gorgeous blonde in the mirror.

"Excuse me? Chose between whom?" she asked, confusion evident on her face. There was something familiar about the woman, but she couldn't put a finger on it.

"Or did you choose? For all I know you could still have your claws in both," she said simply as she strolled across the tile and stood next to Elena.

"And who are you?" Elena asked skeptically, turning to face the blonde full on.

"Come on, Elena," the woman scoffed, "stupid isn't a good look for you."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Elena said while she tried to move past the woman.

But in the blink of an eye, the blonde had her by the throat and slammed into the wall behind her. Pain radiated through her as she struggled against the woman's unusually strong grasp.

"You think you could just stab me in the back and think that I'd never come back for revenge?" the blonde yelled.

"I really don't know what you are talking about," Elena gasped as she clawed at the blonde's hand.

"She was compelled to forget, Rebekah," a familiar voice said.

Elena looked over the blonde's, now known as Rebekah, shoulder to see a mirror image of herself. She was one hundred percent sure that she was hallucinated from the lack of oxygen. She let her eyes drift shut and hoped the end would come quickly.

Just as her body was screaming for air, the pressure over her throat was gone. Her body slumped to the floor, gasping for air. She heard yelling and things breaking, but she couldn't make out specifics. She felt a hand on her, moving her face, and she finally opened her eyes.

For a moment she thought she was looking into a mirror. The woman in front of her looked just like her, except her hair was in tight ringlet curls, and she was wearing tight jeans, a corset top, and lace up boots.

"Who," Elena whispered hoarsely. "Who are you?"

"The compulsion really worked," the woman mumbled, almost to herself while she eyed Elena curiously.

"What is compulsion?" Elena asked, her throat raw and scratchy. "And who are you?"

"I'm Katherine," she said with an eerily similar smile.

Before Elena could reply, the bathroom door was kicked open to reveal Caroline, Damon and Bonnie. Damon pushed through to get to her, but froze in his tracks when he saw two identical faces peering at him.

"Well," Katherine said awkwardly and stood. "I'm just gonna get Rebekah out of here. She's not going to be down for long."

She easily threw Rebekah over her shoulder and disappeared out the door.

"Elena," Damon breathed and dropped to his knees in front of her. He reached out to gather her into his arms, but he stopped when she flinched away from him.

"Please, don't touch me," she whispered with tears in her eyes.

"Elena, let me explain," Damon said quickly.

"Explain what?" Elena snapped, her voice still raw. "Explain how Katherine is still around, how she knows who I am, or how she looks just like me?"

She glanced from Damon's face, to Caroline, to Bonnie. No one said a thing.

"Forget it," she chuckled humorlessly as she pushed herself up off the floor. She left the bathroom as fast as her feet would take her, trying to hold off the tears until she finally got outside.

Her mind was on overdrive. She wanted to sort out the thoughts in her mind, but her brain wouldn't let her. It was shutting down and blocking everything out. For once, she needed to feel the fear and confusion, but she felt nothing.

She slid her keycard into the door and pushed it open. She allowed it to slam behind her as she flipped on the lights.

A strange sense of deja vu overwhelmed her. She had the distinct feeling that she wasn't alone. Walking further into the room, she had to stifle a scream when she realized she was right.

She wasn't alone.

* * *

><p><strong>Follow me on Twitter: rachellebelle08<strong>

**Reviews are love!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Again, thank you all for your amazing reviews. Thanks to Jenn for being my amazing beta. Go read her stories, her penname is: elvishgrrl.**

**This was going to be a beast chapter, but if you follow me on Twitter you'll know I had about 4 places I could've ended this chapter. Next chapter shouldn't take as long to post because it's basically written. **

**Before you read this, just know that Elena's frame of mind is all out of whack right now. She's confused, she doesn't know who is being honest and who isn't. I'm also trying to portray Stefan as almost bi-polar. I feel like on the show the writers try and make him like that, but I really want him all over the place. **

**With that said, don't spear me.**

* * *

><p>"What's going on in here?" Jeremy asked as he appeared in the doorway of the bathroom.<p>

Three pairs of eyes snapped to his face at once.

"Rebekah attacked Elena," Caroline finally answered.

"What?" Jeremy practically yelled. "Why? And more importantly, how? I thought she was still daggered."

"So did we," Damon said from his knees, his eyes still not quite focusing on his surroundings.

"So where is Elena now?" Jeremy asked suspiciously.

"That's where things get interesting," Caroline supplied. "Katherine got Rebekah off Elena and took her out. Well, you can imagine Elena's surprise when she came face to face with her unknown identical twin. She's upset and she went back to the room."

"Are you sure she's safe there by herself?" Jeremy asked.

"I was going to head that way now and at least hang out by the door so I could listen and make sure she's ok," Caroline explained. "Why don't you two go back to the reception so Alaric and Meredith don't get suspicious?" she gestured toward Jeremy and Bonnie who left with a nod of agreement.

"She's never going to forgive me, is she?" Damon asked once he and Caroline were alone. His shoulders were slumped and she didn't think she'd ever seen him look so defeated. Her heart broke for her friend. Which is exactly what they'd become in the last three years. Friends.

"I'm not sure if she'll forgive any of us," Caroline replied sadly.

"I was afraid of that."

* * *

><p>Elena's mind was on overdrive. She wanted to sort out the thoughts in her mind, but her brain wouldn't let her. It was shutting down and blocking everything out. For once, she needed to feel the fear and confusion, but she felt nothing.<p>

She slid her keycard into the door and pushed it open. She allowed it to slam behind her as she flipped on the lights.

A strange sense of deja vu overwhelmed her. She had the distinct feeling that she wasn't alone. Walking further into the room, she had to stifle a scream when she realized she was right.

She wasn't alone.

She braced herself against the wall to stay as far away from Stefan as possible.

"Stefan? What are you doing here?" She tried to keep her voice strong and authoritative, but failed tragically.

"I heard what happened," he spoke with a soft voice and even his eyes were soft. He looked so different than he did when she had seen him previously.

"Who told you?" she asked.

"I was standing outside, I heard everything," he said simply, taking a small and calculated step closer to her.

"Please leave," she commanded as she pressed herself even further into the wall.

"Don't you have questions for me?" he asked gently. "Like what is compulsion? Or about Katherine? Things Damon so conveniently left out. Ever wonder why the last three years of your life seem so foggy? How your Aunt Jenna passed away and why you can't seem to remember? Or maybe why Damon keeps showing up in your dreams?"

Her heart froze at his words. She could feel fear running rampant through her veins.

"How did you know about that?" she asked with a shaky voice.

Stefan said nothing, only tapped his ear with one long finger. Her eyes widened at the implication.

"You were listening?" she hissed, the fear in her slowly being replaced with anger.

Stefan nodded stiffly before he spoke, "Compulsion seems to be a more fickle thing than any of us thought it was."

"What is compulsion?" she asked sharply.

"Vampires have a special..." he paused to search for an appropriate word, "gift. We can control the minds of humans. We can make them say things, do things, feel things, forget things, whatever we please."

Her blood ran cold. Something about what he was saying hit something in her. She thought of her dream when Stefan was in her room. Maybe she wasn't as clueless as she originally felt.

"What about Katherine?" she asked the question that had plagued her mind since she came face to face with her twin. "How is she still around?"

"She's the one who turned my brother and I," Stefan said with a shrug.

"What is she doing here?" Elena pressed for more information.

"I have no idea, actually," Stefan answered and Elena believed him.

"Is that why Damon is with me?" she asked quietly after several silent moments. "Because I look like her?"

"Damon has an affinity for my girlfriends," he replied with a sad smile.

"I have never been your girlfriend," Elena said with a tilt to her chin as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yes, you have."

"What are you talking about? I've never met you before this summer," Elena said, shaking her head. Yet, somehow in the back of her mind, she knew that wasn't true.

"It was about four years ago. You loved me, in fact. But, like I said, Damon likes to take things that aren't his." Stefan explained it like it was something mundane, like the weather.

"What are you saying?" Elena asked, because her brain refused to process what he was saying.

"He was jealous and angry that Katherine chose me over him. He took that out on you by taking you away from me," he said softly, taking slow steps toward her.

"No," she said, shaking her head. She felt the pricks of tears behind her eyes, but she refused to cry in front of Stefan. "He wouldn't do that to me."

"Elena," Stefan said gently, he stood only a few feet from her. "He'd stop at nothing to get revenge against me. He hated that we loved each other."

"I don't know how I felt about you once upon a time, but I don't feel that way now, Stefan. Please, just leave," she begged.

"Elena, you love me still, I know it. I can prove it," he said desperately, finally closing the distance between their bodies. There was something so familiar and so frightening about the position they were in. She watched, totally frozen, while he breathed her in. His hands reached out slowly to touch her. Before she could protest another voice came through the door.

"Elena?" Caroline's tentative knock came soon after. Both Elena and Stefan's heads snapped toward the door. When she looked back, Stefan was gone.

She stared at the place he stood for what seemed like hours. Her mind was going crazy with information overload. How could she be so afraid of Stefan when he claimed that they loved each other? How could Damon take that from her out of jealousy and revenge?

What hurt the most was that the entire time she'd been falling for Damon, it had all been a lie.

And that hurt like a bitch.

* * *

><p>Her morning was quiet and awkward. She was so angry and hurt and confused that she didn't trust herself to speak to Caroline without ripping into her. She packed her things quietly, lost in her own thoughts of her conversation with Stefan. He seemed so different from the times she'd interacted with him. There was something in the regret in his eyes that spoke to her. It felt familiar and almost comfortable.<p>

Once they had their bags packed, they set off toward the lobby. Elena was saying a silent prayer that she wouldn't run into Damon.

No such luck.

"Elena." She heard him call her name from behind her, but she kept her head down and continued walking. She didn't think she could look at him without bursting into a million painful pieces.

"You're going to have to talk to me sometime!" His angry and almost patronizing voice filled her ears and set her blood to boil. How dare he? She swiveled around so abruptly she almost knocked Caroline over.

"You know what? Let's talk." She threw her arms out through the air. "When were you going to tell me about Katherine? After you kissed me? After you told me who you really were? After we slept together? When, Damon?" She punctuated each question with a step closer to him. She felt pleased that he had the good sense to look guilty.

"I haven't seen Katherine in over three years. You are more to me than she will ever be," he said sincerely. Yet, his tone only pissed her off more.

"When were you going to tell me that you knew me three years ago? That I was Stefan's girlfriend? That you tried to take me from him just like you took Katherine from him? When were you going to drop that bomb?" she hissed. She felt fire through her whole being and all she saw was red. Red and the ice blue of Damon's eyes.

"You know what, Elena?" he snarled back. "Maybe you should get the facts before you start playing the blame game."

"I'm sorry, it's a little hard to get the facts straight when you've wiped the past three years from my memory!" she screamed. Her anger was only provoking the stinging of tears behind her eyes. She blinked furiously to keep them at bay. She would not be weak.

"So you're going to believe him after all the shit he's pulled since you've been back?" he yelled, pointing across the lobby as if Stefan stood there himself.

"He tried to warn me about you and I should have listened," she replied simply.

"You're really going to be that fucking naive?" he spat at her, looking her up and down with distaste, which only served to twist the knife in her heart. She was so angry and so hurt that she was hardly in the state of mind to stop her hand from lashing out and slapping him right across his cheek.

"Yeah, I am, Damon, because you have not once bothered to be honest with me until I came looking for answers," she spoke in a low and menacing voice. "So what else have you not been honest with me about? Do you even like me or was I just a game? An act of revenge?"

"You know that's not true." His voice was pleading; his eyes had a desperate look to them.

"No, I don't. I don't know the truth about anything anymore. Every single one of you has been lying to my face. How can I trust any of you?" she gestured to her so-called friends who had been watching their entire confrontation.

"Elena, please," Caroline said softly, as she tugged on one of Elena's arms. "Let's just go."

"No, I'm not going with you," she hissed as she yanked her arm from Caroline's grasp. "You have all made decisions for me, now I'm making my own."

"How are you getting back?" Caroline asked.

"I'm taking her," Stefan's voice cut through the lobby like a bullet, effectively gaining the attention of every person in their little group.

"No way, not happening," Damon responded almost immediately, stepping in front of Elena's body, as if he were shielding her from him.

"You don't get to make decisions for me, Damon," Elena said as she stepped around his body and turned to face him. "Everything I thought you were, I was wrong about."

"Elena, you're not going with him," Caroline stepped in.

"Just stop it!" she nearly screamed. "Both of you - just stop! God, can't you see that you have made every decision for me since I've been back? And it's all been a lie. One big lie!" She turned her gaze on Damon to whisper, "I trusted you."

She could see his heart breaking in his eyes and it was almost enough to make her take it all back and fall into his arms. But then she remembered that she was only a game to him. Just a challenge to see if he could do it. An act of revenge. She told herself to stay strong. He lied. He played her emotions like a finely-tuned piano. She would not go gentle.

"Elena," Damon's voice was so raw, so vulnerable, that she wouldn't be sure it came from him if she wasn't staring right at him. She felt the tears fill her eyes and prayed they wouldn't fall.

"Elena." She heard Stefan's voice behind her and she turned to look at his soft gaze. Something still felt off about Stefan, but when she turned to look at Damon all she felt was her heart being ripped from her chest. Looking at him physically hurt her and it was the sole reason she turned away from him and let Stefan lead her from the lobby.

With every step she took she could hear the sound of her heart breaking mixed with the sound of Damon's doing the same.

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><p><strong>*ducks*<strong>

**I know you are probably mad about Elena leaving with Stefan. Yes he is dangerous, but right now he's "back on the wagon" so to speak. Just know that sooner or later he'll fall off again because that's what Stefan does. **

Follow me on Twitter: rachellebelle08

**Reviews are love, even if you are outraged and want to go all Hunger Games on me. LOL!**


	13. Chapter 13

**I know you were all very angry with Elena last chapter. I was too, but she was being stubborn and that's what she wanted. **

**I have to say thank you to everyone who reads this! And a HUGE thank you to everyone who has reviewed at one time or another, or every chapter (you all are amazing, really). **

**Another thank you to my beta, Jenn aka elvishgrrl. Go read her stuff. Seriously, do it. I just finished her story What Was Lost and it was so beautiful. You won't be sorry.**

**Last thank you to all of my wonderful supporters, Daisy, Carol, Sandra, Morgan, Mirna, all of you. You guys are amazing. And thanks to Sandra, I now have this entire storyline finished and hammered out. So thank you for letting me harass you for over an hour. You are amazing.**

**Onto the story!**

* * *

><p>"Elena?"<p>

She vaguely registered Stefan calling her name. She was too lost in thoughts of Damon and the look on his face when she left. Had it only been twenty minutes ago?

"Elena?"

She finally shook herself from her thoughts and turned to Stefan.

"What?" she asked, running her hand through her hair.

"I asked if you were ok," he said. When his eyes flicked to hers she saw concern etched in them and it made her feel smothered more than anything.

"I'm fine," she responded a little shorter than she'd planned.

"It's a lot to process, but I'll be here for you," Stefan said softly. "I'll tell you anything you want to know."

While she processed what he said, his hand drifted over to set gently over her knee. She couldn't tear her gaze from his hand on her leg. She felt more uncomfortable than anything and she couldn't help but compare his touch to Damon's. Where Stefan's was heavy, Damon's was soft, like a caress. Where Stefan's made her feel suffocated, Damon's made her feel liberated.

She really needed to stop thinking about Damon.

As they pulled onto her street, she casually brushed his hand off his knee. By the hurt look on his face, it wasn't as casual as she intended it to be.

"Thank you for the ride, Stefan," Elena said as he pulled up to her house.

His hand shot out and caught hers before she could open the door. She turned to face him and her heart started to pound at his close proximity.

"I missed you," he whispered as he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear with his free hand.

"I should go inside," she said awkwardly, trying her best to pull away from him.

"I love you, Elena," Stefan said loudly, his voice seemed to echo in the small space that was only becoming smaller. "I will do whatever it takes for you to remember that you love me too."

"Stefan," she sighed as she extracted her hand from his, "I meant what I said last night - I don't feel anything toward you and you need to respect that."

She watched her words register in his mind and saw confusion, hurt, and then anger flash across his face.

He took a deep breath and when his eyes met hers again, they were solid black. With a gasp she backed away from him until her back hit the car door. She turned quickly to try and open the door with shaky hands. When his nose grazed the skin on her neck, she froze. All she could hear was the pounding of her heart and her ragged panicked breaths.

"You smell so good when you get worked up," he mumbled into her skin and his breath felt sickeningly warm.

"Please stop," she whimpered as his lips ghosted across her neck.

"I just want one taste, it's been so long," he whispered a second before he sank his fangs into her neck.

She let out a blood-curdling scream as the pain radiated through her, all the way to her fingertips. Panic and fear took hold of all her rational thoughts and all she could think about was survival. She needed to get away from him at all costs.

She clawed and screamed and fought against him with all she had. With every passing second, it only got harder to fight him off. She could feel the blood leaving her body and all the strength she possessed go with it.

And then suddenly Stefan was ripped from her. She turned as fast as she could to see someone wrestling with Stefan on the asphalt. The car door was left open and suddenly the face of Tyler Lockwood appeared. He was holding a struggling Stefan under him.

"Elena," he said calmly. "You need to get out of the car, go inside, and lock the doors, you hear me?"

"Tyler?" she openly gaped at him, it had been years since she last saw him and she never expected that he could hold his own against a vampire.

"Just get inside, Elena. NOW!" he yelled at her and her mind kicked into overdrive. She turned and fumbled with the door until she pushed it open. She scrambled across her yard until she reached the front door. She quickly threw it open before she slammed it behind her and ran upstairs.

She slammed her bedroom door shut and locked it as well before she started frantically pacing across the floor. Her mind was going crazy when she realized that she was still bleeding.

Once she was cleaned up and a little calmer she walked back into her room to try and sort out her thoughts. She moved around her bed and spotted her journal on the floor. Her heart started to pound again when she realized that it held all the answers. Not what Stefan told her, or what she thought Damon had kept from her. No, it held the truth.

She picked it up and settled onto her bed to dive in where she left off.

_Dear Diary,_

_I told Stefan I loved him last night. And I do. Despite him being a vampire. Despite how dangerous he claims he is. I feel safe around him. I feel like after I lost my parents, I finally found someone who wouldn't die._

_I found a picture of the infamous Katherine. No one bothered to tell me I looked exactly like her. We could be the same person. It's eerie. I was so blinded by rage I left without saying goodbye and I left my necklace. Turns out I shouldn't drive while I'm upset because I crashed my car. All I remember was a man in the road. I tried to swerve to avoid hitting him, but my car flipped._

_Next thing I knew I was waking up in Damon's car and we were in Georgia. So much happened while we were there. I saw a very different person than he tries to be. It's hard to hate him when he lets his guard down. I wish Stefan would see the Damon I saw today._

She read page after page. Sucked into the story that was so familiar, yet new to her. It sucked her in like her favorite romance novel. She couldn't stop herself from moving to the next entry despite the gruesome details they described.

_Dear Diary,_

_Stefan and Damon came to my rescue again. Turns out there is a man after me, Elijah. He was about to take me away when Stefan and Damon intervened and saved me. _

_I should be happy, but all I can see is the look on Damon's face when he thought I was running into his arms. It's haunting me. I hadn't ever seen such a look of adoration on his beautiful features and I wiped it right off. I practically slapped him in the face. _

_It seems that Damon isn't far from my thoughts tonight. Elijah ripped my necklace off today and before I sat down to write, it was around my neck. I don't remember seeing it, I don't remember finding it, I don't remember who brought it to me. Something in my heart tells me it was Damon. I don't know why, but I'm sure of it._

Her eyes were tired, but she couldn't stop. Every entry gave her new insight to the things Damon had already told her and things that Stefan had twisted to his satisfaction.

_Dear Diary,_

_Damon almost died tonight. Damon told me he loved me tonight. I don't know which has affected me more. I guess I always knew in my heart that he loved me. Every thing he has done has only proved it more and more. Seeing him laying on his deathbed forced me to admit that I don't just see him as Stefan's brother. I feel things for him that I can't even begin to comprehend. Every relationship in my life has been safe, comfortable, and, dare I say it, easy. _

_Damon is none of those things. He frightens me, yet I know he'd never hurt me. He challenges everything I believe, every move I make, and my every thought. Nothing with him is easy. He makes me so angry sometimes. He's never afraid to hurt my feelings. He's never afraid to tell me no. He would do whatever it takes to keep me safe and he has. _

_Do I love Damon? No. I don't think so. I'm pretty sure I don't. I don't know. _

_If I admitted it, even to myself, I'm exactly like Katherine. I can't do that, I won't do that. I refuse to tear them apart. I will not let history repeat itself. _

_But Stefan is gone. He gave up everything to save his brother. He gave himself over to the man who killed me, killed Jenna. I can't help but be angry with him for going so willingly. Then again, because he did, Damon is alive._

_Maybe I am just like Katherine._

The sun was almost setting by the time she finished the last entry in her journal. Tears streamed down her face for hours, never stopping once. Stefan had told her the truth, but not the whole truth. She still didn't know who compelled her to leave or why, but she did know that Damon never tried to steal her away.

If anything, she almost wanted Damon to try and steal her from Stefan, but according to her journal entries, he never once tried. Except for when he kissed Katherine thinking it was her.

Her mind was on overload. Everything that she had learned in the past two days was running rampant in her mind. Damon had never once lied to her. She felt awful that she didn't trust her gut instinct about him. How could she be so cruel to leave with his brother today?

Her heart longed to see him, to try and explain, to tell him what she read. To tell him that she loved him.

The second the thought crossed her mind, she knew it was true. It raced through her like a fire in her veins. A pulsing, tangible, real thing. Had she really loved him for three years? Maybe he was the man in her dreams all along, she just didn't remember.

Without another thought, she grabbed her journal, purse, and her keys and ran out the door.

She was running to her home.

She was running to Damon.

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><p>The only thing worse than hearing Elena tell him that it would always be Stefan was seeing her leave with him today.<p>

It hurt like hell.

He had her, he had her in his bed, in his arms, and then she just left with Stefan.

He'd been trying to respect Elena since she got back and it blew up in his face. He wanted to go to her and explain more than anything, but he knew that would do more damage that it would good.

Well, as usual, it all blew up in his face.

He should've known by now that he was never going to get the girl. He should've learned his lesson after Elena left the first time. After she asked to leave. And now Stefan was making her believe it was him who compelled her to leave.

He slammed the front door shut out of frustration. Fucking Stefan. Always ruining everything.

He stomped over to the liquor cart, not really caring how early in the morning it was. He wanted to be drunk and he wanted it now. He would do whatever was needed to numb the blinding pain he was experiencing.

How did this always happen to him? The universe must have it out for him. It let him have Elena, just for a night, have her body and her heart, and then it ripped her from him in the cruelest way possible. It was like the universe just wanted him to know what it was like to have her, to really have her, and then it took her away because he was never good enough for her.

It really would always be Stefan.

He should have accepted that fact the second it left her mouth. But no, he had to ignore it and keep trying and pushing for something that was never his and would never be his.

He could feel his anger rising and bubbling inside him. It all came to a head and he launched his glass against the brick fireplace, a movement that he'd done a lot in past years. What he would give to be a vampire at that very moment. He was just itching for one more go to snatch, eat, erase. Clearly, his vampire habits would die hard. He could feel his fingers twitching just to smash something. He wanted to break something just because he could. He wanted to be destructive, take out his anger on something. And he did. Anything within his reach was doomed. He kicked, punched, and threw his way through almost all the furniture in the house with bitter, angry tears streaming down his cheeks.

When he finally made it to his bedroom, he was spent. Every muscle in his body was screaming in exhaust. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey off his dresser and flopped on his bed, letting the alcohol drown his misery.

Or at least pretend it did.

The sun was beginning its descent in the sky when his phone rang. The shrill sound coming from his pocket snapped him out of his self-loathing stupor.

He fished the offending device out of his pocket and answered without bothering a glance at the caller ID.

"What?" he grumbled.

_"Is Elena with you?" _Caroline's voice accosted his eardrum and he flinched.

"What kind of sick question is that?" Damon snapped.

_"Jeremy called and said that Elena wasn't home when he got there and that there was blood on the side walk and in their bathroom. When I got there, I found her keys laying on the ground near her car,"_ Caroline explained, not sparing a word about his less-than-friendly tone.

Her words finally registered with him and he sat up straight in his bed, his drunken haze clearing substantially. He felt like he had a bucket of ice water thrown on him. His heart started pounding and his mind immediately ran wild with possible scenarios, none pleasant.

"What do you think happened?" Damon asked, despite already knowing the answer. He braced himself for the worst.

_"I'm saying that Elena's gone, Damon. She's been taken."_

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><p><strong>*Evil cackle* I love cliffhangers and I can't wait for you all to freak out about it in the reviews! I LOVE hearing your reactions to this story, it fuels my writing.<strong>

**And that will catapult us right into the ending arc of this story. I'm guessing maybe five chapters left..? I'm terrible at giving estimates, so don't be surprised if I am WAY off. **

**We'll find out a lot of what's going on next chapter, so stay tuned! **

****Follow me on twitter: rachellebelle08

**Reviews are love!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry for the delay. This was mostly finished, but I lost all motivation over the weekend due to some less than ideal circumstances. **

**Here is chapter 14! Chapter 15 is halfway finished, so never fear.**

**Thanks to Jenn, for being an amazing beta. You rock.**

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><p>He knew he needed to be patient. He knew running out and searching for her wasn't going to get them anywhere. But why was everyone taking so damn long?<p>

He had been pacing for the better part of ten minutes. Since hanging up with Caroline, he managed to shower, dress, and clean up some of his mess and they still hadn't shown.

"It's about fucking time," he growled loudly when he finally heard the front door open and close.

Caroline was the first to appear around the corner.

"Sorry we're late, but we ran into someone who thinks he can help," she said with a smile as Elijah appeared next to her.

"You know what happened to her?" Damon asked.

"I do," Elijah said with a simple nod. "If you will all have a seat I will tell you what I know."

Damon took Elijah's order surprisingly well. He knew from experience that he couldn't just jump Elijah for information, Elijah had to give it how he wanted to.

Caroline plopped down on the couch and Bonnie and Jeremy followed behind her to take seats of their own. Damon opted to standing in the corner, he didn't have the patience to sit.

"I take it none of you have spoken to your friend Tyler in a while?" Elijah asked as he strolled further into the living room.

All eyes settled on Caroline who shook her head sadly. She hadn't spoken to him much since that fateful night they killed Klaus. Tyler left town shortly after Elena did.

"Well apparently a sire bond is never broken, even after the sire's death," Elijah explained, "Once Elena returned to Mystic Falls, the sire bond was activated once more. Seems the doppelganger has an effect on a lot more than just brothers."

"So you are saying that Tyler still feels loyal to Klaus even though Klaus has been dead for years now?" Bonnie asked.

"Precisely," Elijah confirmed. "So loyal, in fact, that he took it upon himself to un-dagger our family. Including the sealed coffin."

There was a collective gasp heard around the room.

"But those coffins have been in our basement this whole time," Damon said.

"Apparently Tyler was aware of that fact and took advantage of you all being out of town," Elijah said with a careless wave of his hand.

"So who was in the sealed coffin?" Jeremy asked the question on everyone's mind.

"My mother."

"Your mother?" Damon asked skeptically. "I thought Klaus killed her."

"My mother had a spell done to preserve her body so that when her necklace was back in her child's possession and the doppelganger was near, she'd be freed," Elijah said.

"So what does Elena have to do with any of this?" Damon asked. He could feel the anxiety growing in his chest.

"When Tyler completed the steps to free my mother, she did a spell to put Klaus inside Tyler's body," Elijah explained.

"So Klaus isn't dead?" Jeremy asked, shock written clearly on his face.

"His mind isn't dead, but that is where Elena comes in. The blood of the doppelganger can bring Klaus back in his own body in a ritual that can only be performed by my mother, the original witch." The silence in the room was deafening. It was happening again. Elena was in danger and this time around, she had no idea.

"Seriously? Again with all this doppelganger blood stuff? Don't the witches have anyone else they can terrorize?" Damon exploded. He couldn't get the picture of Elena, cold, alone and scared, out of his mind.

"It's insurance, plain and simple, to make sure that no matter what Klaus tries, he will fail. Elena was supposed to die in that ritual, insuring that he could never create others like himself. Had she died, he would never be able to be brought back," Elijah explained.

"So your mother wants to sacrifice Elena?" Caroline asked with an eyebrow raised.

"My mother wants our family reunited now that my father has been...taken care of. Elena's sacrifice is the only way that can be completed. Klaus will drink half of her blood before he makes his transition to his own body, then he will drink the rest of her blood to complete the transition," Elijah paused. "While he is in Tyler's body and he is drinking from her, he is the most vulnerable. If you are able to rip his heart out at that moment, you can save Elena and keep Klaus from ever returning."

"Tyler has to die?" Caroline squeaked.

"Is there any way that Tyler could survive?" Damon asked for Caroline and she shot him a grateful look.

"Yes, there is," Elijah nodded, but his eyes didn't give away any hope. "The only way Tyler will survive is if Elena is killed and the ritual is completed."

Silence descended on the room once more.

"Where is she?" Damon asked, finally breaking the tense silence.

Elijah sighed and looked exasperated, "You can't go running off to be the hero, Damon. As far as I can tell you are not as strong and invincible as you used to be. The only way you can save Elena is if you plan accordingly and strike when the time is right."

"Where is she?" Damon practically snarled as he advanced on Elijah.

"In the cave on the Lockwood property," Elijah answered reluctantly.

"I'm going to get her," he said simply, before he stormed past the Original in his living room. He barely made it four steps before Caroline was in front of him.

"You can't do that, Damon. You're still human. You could get yourself killed," she said in a panic. "You heard what Elijah said."

"I can't sit by and let her die, Caroline!" he yelled and gestured to the door.

"What we need is to make a plan. They won't hurt Elena - she's too valuable to them right now. The only way you can save her is if we make a plan," Caroline said seriously, which got his attention. Caroline was rarely seriously and she hardly ever got in his way. He sighed and ran a frazzled hand through his hair.

"Fine," Damon relented and turned to reenter the living room.

"We will make a plan and then I will take you to see Elena a few hours before the ritual is set to begin," Elijah said as he tried to offer some comfort to Damon. "Besides, it will be my watch shift."

* * *

><p>Everything was dark and everything hurt.<p>

Her eyes burned with the strength that it took to open them. Once they were opened, she wished she'd kept them closed. Her wrists were bound by shackles and it wasn't until she took in her surroundings that she realized she was being held up by her wrists. The toes of her ever-present Chucks barely scraped the ground. She glanced around and noticed she was in some sort of cave, there was a little light streaming in from the cracks in the rock above her. That's when she started to panic.

Her heart started to pick up and she fought against the restraints, crying out in pain when they only cut further into the delicate skin on her wrists. She felt tears burning her eyes from the combination of fear and pain. All she wanted was to be in Damon's arms all snuggled up in his bed.

She tried desperately to remember how she got here. She remembered everything she read in her journal, she remembered the urgent feeling that she needed to tell Damon the truth, and she remembered leaving her house and running toward her car, but that was it.

"Ah, she's awake. Finally," a whiney voice echoed through the dark cavern.

Elena watched with dread as the blonde that attacked her at Ric's wedding appeared out of the shadows. She recognized the woman that attacked her in the bathroom. Rebekah.

"Hello, Elena," she spoke with a sick smile.

"What do you want with me?" Elena asked in a shaky voice.

"Oh, Elena the things I wish I could do to you, but Mother won't let me," Rebekah pouted. "But we can still play."

Elena felt her blood run cold at the sadistic smile on the blonde's face. Her breath came out in frenzied pants as she watched Rebekah walk around her in a slow circle before disappearing behind her. Elena tried to turn and look, but before she could see what Rebekah was doing, she was jerked off the ground by the restraints around her wrists.

Elena tried to hold in her anguished cries, but when she felt the blood from her wrists trickle down her arm, she could no longer hold them in.

"Rebekah!" A sharp, deep voice echoed through the rock cave. "Enough! I'm taking over the watch now."

Rebekah huffed and Elena fell back to the ground, her feet hit so hard that she fell to the ground onto her knees, her wrists still bound and hanging above her head. Her whole body sagged from the pain and exhaustion.

Rebekah stomped her foot like a petulant child, but she eventually disappeared. Elena heard her footsteps fade and heard a man's heavy steps nearing her. She raised her heavy head to see the intruder. A large man stood a few feet from Elena and she could feel the fear coursing through her veins once more.

"Hello, Elena," the man repeated the blonde's words.

"Who are you?" she asked in a voice that sounded utterly terrified.

"Do not be afraid, Elena," he said softly, holding his hands in front of him as if he was approaching a wounded animal.

"Who are you?" she repeated, her voice a little stronger.

"I'm Elijah," he said with a smile. As he stepped further into the light, she could make out his eerily familiar features.

"Elijah," she breathed, recognizing his name from her journal. "What's happening?"

"There is to be a sacrifice to bring my brother back from the dead," Elijah said grimly. "And you are the sacrificial lamb."

Elena felt the air being ripped from her lungs. She was to be sacrificed? This was a cruel twist of fate. She remembered reading about the first sacrifice that unleashed Elijah's brother's dark side.

"Do not be afraid, my dear," Elijah reassured her. "We'll make sure that my family does not succeed."

She was too panicked to even think about responding, so she settled with a terse nod.

"I brought you something," Elijah said with a little warmth in his voice, and took a large step to the side just as another figure came down the steps and into the cave. He walked forward and she instantly knew who it was. She didn't need her memory to remember him. She took one look at his face and visibly wilted with relief.

"Damon?"

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><p><strong>I would have put their reunion in this chapter to make it longer, but it just didn't feel right. So next chapter is full of DE goodness. I promise.<strong>

**Follow me on twitter: rachellebelle08**

**Reviews are love.**


	15. Chapter 15

**As thanks for being so amazing, here is another chapter! I know that cliffhanger was cruel, but I enjoyed all the reactions. I know, I'm evil.**

**I know I say this a lot, but this is literally the most M-rated chapter I've ever written, ever. I was going to keep it to my usual M-rated style, but things kind of flowed and this is what came of it.**

**I owe Jenn a HUGE thank you because she beta'ed three chapters in 2 days for me. She rocks.**

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><p>"Damon?" Her voice was weak and needy, but she didn't care.<p>

"Elena!" he cried and she could hear the utter relief in his voice as he rushed to where she was kneeling.

She felt herself being lifted into his arms and she was home. She wrapped her legs around his waist and the slack in the restraints allowed her arms to drop around his neck.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered into the skin on his neck.

"Shh," Damon hushed her as his hand tangled in her hair and held her closer to him. "It's ok, baby. You're going to be ok."

She finally gave herself over to the tears that had been waiting to explode out of her. She vaguely registered someone moving around the cave while Damon held her, but soon her arms were released and fell further around his neck and a moment later the restraints on her wrists were ripped free.

She lifted her head and saw Elijah standing with the remains of her shackles and he gave her a wry smile.

"I'll be outside keeping watch," he said simply before he disappeared.

Damon's grip on her was immovable, even as he backed into a wall and slid down to the ground, her knees landing gently on the ground on either side of his thighs.

"I know everything," she said quietly as she pulled back from his shoulder to look him in the eyes.

"What are you talking about?" he asked as his fingers gently soothed the wounds on her wrists.

She dropped her eyes to watch his fingers for a few moments, reveling in how right his touch felt, how right it always felt.

"I read my journal," she said finally, peeking up at him from under her eyelashes. He tensed underneath her, his fingers stilling on her wrists. "I read about meeting Stefan and falling in love with him. I read about Katherine and why I look like her. I read about Klaus and Elijah and about how you almost died. How Stefan left and how you were always there for me while we tried to find him."

"Do you remember anything?" he whispered, his eyes showed just how vulnerable he felt.

"No, I don't," she shook her head sadly. "Stefan attacked me yesterday. You were right all along - he's not safe."

"I'm so sorry," he said as he pulled her against his chest once more. She breathed in his scent that was just so Damon. "I'm sorry he led you on like that."

"Damon, I'm not upset about Stefan," she pulled away from his chest to look at him. "I shouldn't have left with him. I shouldn't have believed him."

"It's ok," he smiled at her sadly and ran his fingers over her cheek. She let herself lean into his touch.

"Then who compelled me to leave?" she asked after a few silent moments.

"You went to Stefan after we killed Klaus and asked him to take away your memories so you could finally live a normal life," Damon said, the hurt in his voice cut her to the core. "You gave me this," he said as he pulled out a small folded piece of paper from his pocket.

She gasped as she read her own words to him. She really did love him before. "Is this why you became human? For me?" she asked in a small but hopeful voice.

He nodded solemnly, "I love you, Elena. I've loved you all these years."

"I want to remember," she whispered while her fingers traced the sharp angles of his jaw.

"I can't take the compulsion away, Elena, but you can break through it. You're strong enough," he said, his hands cupping her face gently.

"How?" she asked sadly.

"You are the doppelganger. You are supernatural and only the Originals can compel the supernatural," Damon explained.

"But I was compelled," she argued.

"Elijah thinks that Stefan could compel you because you are the most human of all supernatural beings, but it was only a matter of time before it would wear off. Not to mention that Stefan doesn't have the best technique," Damon finished with a smirk.

"I'm not strong enough," Elena said, defeated.

"Yes, you are. You are the strongest person I know. When we met, I would torment you relentlessly, but you were always determined to make me a better man. You were dating Stefan while I fell in love with you. I told you that I loved you once, but I made you forget because I was scared. You falling in love with me was the bravest thing you've ever done."

Elena stared at him in shocked silence.

"You are strong enough. You can do it. Tell me about the man in your dreams. What did he say to you?" Damon prompted.

"He told me that he loved me, that his brother deserved me, and that he wished I didn't have to forget." She said the words and then froze when the realization washed over her.

"Damon? It's you? It's really you," she whispered in awe. He nodded once and she could see the apprehension in his eyes. He was waiting for her to lash out at him.

Despite their location and despite the circumstances, she leaned into him and pressed her lips against his. She pulled back to see confusion written all over his face.

"You're not mad?" he asked, completely baffled.

"I might be after we survive this, but for right now, no I'm not mad," she said with a small smile that lit his veins on fire.

"What happened after Stefan attacked you?" Damon asked after a few moments.

"Tyler came and pulled him off me," Elena said.

"Shit," Damon cursed and then pulled her to him. "I should never have let you go."

"I was going to see you when I was taken," she said into his shoulder.

"You were?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah," she said as she pushed herself from his shoulder. "I was coming to tell you I love you."

The smile that he gave her made heat slam through her body. It warmed every bit of her.

"I don't want to lose you," she said in a shaky voice. "I just got you."

"You won't lose me," he said fiercely. "We will survive, Elena. We'll always survive."

The words hit her like a freight train and for a moment she was transported to the boarding house, standing by the fire, holding Damon's face in her hands and whispering the same words to him. Before she could think twice, the memory was gone.

Instead of dwelling on it, she leaned in once more and pressed her lips against Damon's.

"What was that for?" he asked after she pulled away.

"In case I don't survive tonight," she started.

"You will survive, Elena," Damon interrupted.

"But if I don't and these are my last moments, can we not talk?" she whispered.

"Ok," Damon said, his voice low and husky. "What do you want then?"

She took a deep breath before saying, "Make love to me."

"Here?" Damon asked, glancing around the rock cave. "Now?"

Elena nodded, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth. "If this is my last night alive, I want to spend it with you."

Her words struck him hard. She was choosing him. After all they had been through this summer, she finally chose him.

He wasted no more time and pulled her against him, pressing his lips to hers in a scorching kiss. Her fingers dove into his hair and his hands wrapped around her waist, trying to pull her as close to him as possible. His tongue was insistent and passionate against her own.

Her hands slid down to the buttons on his shirt and slowly unbuttoned them. The soft graze of her fingers on his skin left fire in their wake. Once she finished, she pulled away from him to run her hands over the hard lines of his stomach and chest. She trailed her fingers up and over his shoulders to push the material off his arms.

His lips attach to hers as he fingered the hem of her top, the pads of his fingertips brushing lightly against the skin of her sides. His touch sent a burst of heat through her body. Elena realized in that moment how in love with him she was. How much she needed the man beneath her.

He pulled back slightly to pull her shirt over her head before his lips latched onto hers once more. He was kissing her everywhere - her lips, her chin, her neck and that one spot right behind her ear. Her hands were all over him, trailing up his chest and over his shoulders, her lips devouring every inch of skin she could reach.

He quickly rid her of her bra and shifted so she lay underneath him. She could feel him everywhere. His hips pressing hers into the ground. His warm bare chest flush against hers. She felt protected. She felt loved.

He trailed kisses down her throat, reveling in how soft her skin was and how good she smelled. He kissed down her sternum, taking time to lave each breast with his tongue and his hands. He was determined not to lose her because he hadn't had enough of her yet. He'd never have enough of her. His fingers deftly unbuttoned her jeans and hooked into the hem of her pants and her underwear. Tantalizingly slow, he pulled both garments down her legs and discarded them across the small cave.

He grasped her foot in his hands and brought it to his lips, kissing the inside of her ankle and trailing his tongue up her calf muscle to lay another kiss to the back of her knee. He was successfully reducing her to a writhing mess. She couldn't get enough of him. Heat blazed straight to her core every time he touched her.

She whimpered when he pulled away and placed her leg back on the ground.

"Patience, baby," he murmured as he lifted her other foot and began the slow torture once more.

He continued his journey north until his lips met the spot where her inner thigh met her core. She could feel his warm breath on her and the sensation was driving her mad with desire. Every pulse point on her body was throbbing with need.

He put her leg down and mimicked the same path on her other thigh. Once he reached the apex of her thighs, his tongue shot out and gave her exactly what she needed. Her hands threaded through his hair as he kissed, explored, and teased her with his tongue and his fingers. He pushed her closer to the brink, but stopped just before she fell over the edge into sweet bliss.

She let out the most feral growl known to man. Damon chuckled as he moved up her body and covered it with his own. She could feel the tip of him teasing her and she vaguely wondered when he had gotten rid of his pants. Before she could voice her thought, he eased inside of her, slowly filling her to capacity. She groaned at the delicious feel of him inside of her, inside of all of her. He was in her heart, in her mind, in her dreams, and now he was physically inside her, claiming her as his and only his.

Once seated inside of her, he froze. She opened her eyes and saw him staring down at her, his weight resting on his elbows on either side of her head. The love and adoration she saw in his eyes caused a lump to form in her throat. She also saw something else that set her heart rate skyrocketing. Possession. She was his and he was hers.

"I love you, Damon," she declared in a strong voice that echoed against the walls. She lifted her fingers to gently trace the contours of his face. "I loved you then and now. That hasn't changed and will never change."

His eyes lit up at her admission and she could feel her own expression mimic his.

"I'm yours," she whispered and just like that the spell between them exploded into a fiery spectacle and his lips crashed down on hers. Her hands wrapped around his back to anchor him to her. She gripped the taut muscles that flexed under her touch.

His hips pulled back only to slid into her again and again. She could feel every inch of him against her. He buried his face in the crook of her neck as her legs wrapped around his waist to pull him closer, deeper.

The only sound in the small cave was the moans of their satisfaction and the sound of skin moving against skin.

She could feel herself being wound tighter and tighter. Gravity no longer held her to the earth, Damon did. She whispered words of her love into his skin.

"Oh God, Elena," he panted into her neck, his warm breath leaving goosebumps behind. "I love you so much. Please, never leave me."

Upon hearing his words she detonated, falling over the edge and calling his name as he followed her. She watched the fireworks go off behind her eyes as she bowed her body to feel as much of him as possible. She heard him praising her name and it almost sent her off the deep end again.

Sated, he collapsed on top of her and she welcomed the weight, flexing her legs to keep him inside of her for just a little longer. He pressed lazy kisses along her neck and her shoulder as she drew aimless patterns across his back with her fingers. In that moment, she forgot she was in a cave with her life hanging in the balance. In that moment, it was just she and Damon, wrapped around each other. The world faded away and all that mattered was the man in her arms.

"Maybe we should get dressed?" Elena murmured into his shoulder.

Damon just groaned and shook his head, pulling a giggle from Elena's lips. He pulled back to look at her. He reveled in how happy and relaxed she looked. She needed to look like that more often.

"I love it when you giggle," he said softly, stroking the sweaty hair off her forehead.

"Damon, we really should get up," she tried to sound serious, but it proved difficult while she was trying to hide her smile.

"You're the one who asked for this," Damon laughed and rolled off her, effectively breaking their connection. She snuggled into his side and ran her hand over his chest.

"I wish we could just run away and hole up in a hotel room somewhere. Somewhere no one could find us," she mumbled as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"That would be nice," he agreed. "But you were right - we really should get dressed."

With a reluctant sigh, she detangled herself from him and searched the area for her clothes. Her pants were closest to her so she shrugged them and her panties on quickly. When she looked over at Damon he was already dressed save for his shirt. He smiled at her and handed her shirt and bra to her. With a blush, she took the clothing and quickly slipped it on as she watched him button up his shirt.

Their happy, sated little bubble was burst by a commotion from above. Their gazes both snapped to the entrance of the cave as they heard the yelling getting louder.

The next instant, Tyler was through the door proclaiming, "It's time." Elijah and another man were right on his heels.

His smile quickly faded when his eyes landed on Damon.

"Ah, Damon Salvatore," Tyler crooned. "Always trying to save Elena."

"Tyler?" Elena's voice was shaking with fear.

Tyler's eyes focused on her once more and he smiled. "Nope, not Tyler. Try again, my lovely."

Hearing his voice sent shivers down her spine. She didn't need her memories to place it. "Klaus. But how?"

"The how is not important, my dear Elena," Tyler waved his hand in the air as if warding off an annoying fly. "Come. We have more important things to attend to."

"Over my dead body," Damon snarled, placing himself firmly in front of Elena.

"Oh, that can be arranged," Tyler smiled wryly. He turned to the man next to Elijah and said, "Kol, take care of this please."

Kol was in front of Damon before she could blink and had Damon's arm pushed painfully behind his back in the following instant.

"Stop it!" she screamed, tears filling her eyes when she heard his cry of pain and the painful sound of bones snapping.

Kol kicked Damon behind the knees and he fell forward with a groan. Elena tried to run to him, but Elijah had her trapped against the wall before she could take one step.

"Elena," Elijah spoke in a low voice, so low that she almost couldn't hear him over Damon's cries of pain. "We have a plan, but you need to stay here."

She gazed up at him in shock. How could he ask her to sit by and let Damon be tortured?

Another sickening crack echoed through the small space and Damon cried out in pain again.

"Please!" Elena screamed, clawing at Elijah's arms. "Please just let him go! I'll come willingly - just stop hurting him!"

Tyler merely laughed at Elena's frantic pleas and instructed Kol to escort Damon to the ritual sight, claiming Damon "wouldn't want to miss the show".

She watched in horror as Kol dragged Damon's limp body from the cave. She struggled with all her energy against Elijah, screaming at the top of her lungs to let Damon go. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks and she fought against the Original long after Damon disappeared from her sight.

She finally sagged against the wall behind her, Damon's cries of pain replaying in her mind over and over again.

"How could you let them take him?" she asked once Tyler and Kol had left the small cave.

"He knew the risk when he came here," Elijah said sternly. "We have a plan and you just need to have faith in it."

"Damon came here as a human, knowing full well he could get caught and killed at any moment?" Elena asked, completely shell shocked.

"Elena, that man would do anything for you. Never forget that."

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><p><strong>And the ritual begins...<strong>

**I suspect maybe three more chapters left of this story. And that's probably as accurate as my guess will get. It could possibly be more, who knows.**

Follow me on Twitter: rachellebelle08

**Reviews are love, especially for this chapter since the M-rated stuff makes me so nervous.**


	16. Chapter 16

**And here is the ritual. It's intense, there are somethings left unanswered at the end, but I'll get to them in the next chapter, no worries.**

**Happy Easter!**

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><p>Elena's screams followed him as Kol dragged his limp body to the ritual site. The place sent shivers down his unmoving spine as memories of the last time he was here played in his mind. He remembered seeing Elena's lifeless body on the ground. He remembered the fear he felt thinking that she'd wake up a vampire.<p>

His whole body was on fire from the pain of his bones breaking. He knew what he was doing when he went to Elena. He knew the risk and the risk was worth it.

Elena was his.

That simple thought alone pushed the pain to the back of his mind. He got to hold her, touch her, kiss her, and make love to her. It was perfect despite the circumstances and he would be able to die a happy man knowing that she was his.

"Do we need to restrain him?" a male voice asked from above him.

"I don't think he's going anywhere," Kol replied and Damon could hear the shit-eating grin in his voice. What he would give to rip his heart out through his esophagus.

"After restraining his brother, I really don't feel like fighting another brother under the doppelganger's spell," the other man said with a humorless laugh.

They had Stefan? Of course they had Stefan, Tyler/Klaus was the one who pulled him off Elena in the first place. They better not touch Stefan because Damon couldn't wait to get his hands on him. That bastard was going to pay, big time.

He laid motionless on the ground as he heard more people approaching. His vision was fuzzy. Everything sounded as if he was underwater.

"Can we please get this over with?" he heard Rebekah whine. "My shoes are getting dirty."

His vision was narrowing and his head was spinning.

"Patience, Rebekah," a woman's voice reprimanded her. "We can start the first stage of the ritual right now. Elijah, bring the doppelganger here."

Trailing down the same path that Damon was dragged along, came Elijah with a frightened Elena behind him. She saw Damon's limp form lying crumpled on the ground and she desperately wanted to run to him and hold him in her arms.

"Remember the plan, Elena," Elijah said in a low voice as if he was reading her mind.

She gave him a brief nod and continued behind him into the clearing. The area felt so familiar to Elena and her body obviously recognized it because her heart rate started to increase and her hands started to shake. She saw a body lying in front of a stone altar and she assumed it was Klaus's.

A statuesque woman approached her. She had long hair long hair and she looked like she just stepped out of another century.

"Hello, Elena," she said warmly, almost with pride in her voice. "I'm Esther."

Elena gave her a brief nod and the woman continued.

"I want to thank you for your brave sacrifice tonight. You should be so proud," Esther said with a smile. Elena suppressed the need to dry heave right then and there. Brave? Proud? She was none of those things. Instead of answering, she glanced again at Damon's prone form.

"Ah, don't worry, my dear," Esther said softly, tucking a strand of hair behind Elena's ear. "You'll see each other again very soon. Now, if you'll give me your hand."

Elena was so shocked by Esther's words that she barely registered Esther taking her hand until she pricked the pad of her index finger. Elena hissed at the sting while Esther turned her hand over and squeezed a drop of blood into the goblet in her hand. She then released Elena and stepped back.

"Thank you, my dear," Esther smiled. "That'll be all the blood we need from you right now."

"Finn," she called as she turned away from Elena. "Bring in the vampire."

The man that Elena assumed was Finn entered the clearing, dragging a bound and barely-conscious Stefan behind him. Esther approached them quickly and repeated the same procedure with his hand.

Seeing Stefan made everything click into place. Tyler saved Elena from Stefan so she wouldn't be killed before the sacrifice and then he bound him to use as a pawn in all this.

Esther passed the goblet to Finn and he bit into his hand and let his own blood drop into the cup. The family followed suit, each taking the goblet, biting into their own hand, and dripping their blood inside. Esther took the cup from Elijah and approached the middle of the semi-circle they had formed, where the rock altar stood. She closed her eyes and started chanting quietly to herself.

"While we are waiting for the festivities to start…" Tyler/Klaus began with a sick smile. Elena had a strong feeling that whatever he had planned would not end well.

From his place across the small clearing, Stefan groaned, successfully gaining Tyler/Klaus's attention.

"Stefan!" Tyler/Klaus greeted him jovially. "How nice of you to join us!"

Elena felt sick with fear. This was not going to end well whatsoever.

"Since you felt so inclined to ruin my existence after all I did for you, I thought it was only fitting that I do the same for you," Tyler/Klaus explained as he sauntered across the clearing to grab Damon by the back of his shirt and drag him back to the center.

Elena stood frozen upon seeing Tyler/Klaus's hand on Damon. Panic started to set in and as much as she wanted to run to Damon and rip him from Tyler/Klaus's grip, she was immobile.

"Now, what good would your existence be without your girl? Well, she's not really yours anymore, but that's a moot point," he said flippantly, waving his hand carelessly. "As I was saying, you lost your girl, but I'd like to see how you cope without your precious brother."

Elena's heart stopped.

No. No. No!

Whatever he had up his sleeve was bad. Really, really bad.

"Please," Elena whispered, as she knew he could hear her. "Please don't hurt him." She was begging. She was begging for Damon's life.

"Oh, Elena," Tyler/Klaus said as he turned to face her, pulling Damon's body up and holding him with one arm around his waist and the other around his neck. "What I'm planning for him won't hurt one bit."

"Please stop," she begged once more. The tears in her eyes were blurring her vision. She flinched when she felt a pair of hands take hold of her upper arms and keep her planted where she was.

"I've been wanting to do this for so long," Tyler/Klaus said wistfully. "Any last words, Damon?"

His eyes slid open and she could see the piercing blue from where she stood. Her heart leapt in her chest and she ached to run to him. She wanted so badly to pull him from Tyler/Klaus's arms.

"Fuck. You," Damon wheezed.

Tyler/Klaus let out a hearty belly laugh when he heard Damon's words.

"I've always admired your spunk," Tyler/Klaus said condescendingly.

Everything slowed as Elena watched Tyler/Klaus move one hand to Damon's chin and thrust it in the opposite direction of his body. The sickening snap of his neck echoed through her mind. Tears streamed down her face and Stefan's eye's bulged as they watched his lifeless body slump unceremoniously to the ground.

"NO!" she screamed, hot tears rolling down her cheeks. She wrestled out of Elijah's grip and ran to Damon's body. She knelt on the ground, cradling his head to her chest, and sobbing into his hair. Each sob ripped through her, forcing her body to convulse with the power from it.

She was losing air. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't feel anything.

Damon was dead.

Her Damon. Her loving, compulsive, terrifying, consuming Damon.

Damon couldn't be dead. She couldn't think of a world without Damon. She needed him.

She fell onto her backside, pulling more of Damon's body on top of her to cling to. She pulled her knees up to cocoon him in her arms and rocked him back and forth. Her sobs slowly turned into quiet whimpering as she nuzzled her face into his hair. He smelled of bourbon, shampoo, and love. She inhaled as many deep breaths of his scent as possible to commit it to memory.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there, wrapped around Damon's body like a vine, but all she knew was that she couldn't cry any longer. She was numb to everything but the feel of Damon's skin against hers.

"It's time," she heard Esther's voice ring out across the clearing.

She knew what she needed to do. Esther's words from earlier played in her mind. "You'll see each other again very soon."

She gently laid Damon on the ground and leaned over him to press a soft kiss to his lips.

"I love you," she whispered against his lips before she stood straight and walked toward her destiny.

Her steps were calculated and determined. She felt nothing. No fear. No pain. No apprehension. She was numb to everything but her blinding rage toward Tyler/Klaus and his family.

She was ready to get this the hell over with.

Tyler/Klaus held his hand out to her and smiled at her warmly. It sent chills down her unfeeling spine. She took his hand and he twisted her around to pull her against his back. She could feel his warm, sticky breath on her neck and it made her stomach roll.

"Thank you so much for your sacrifice, Elena," he whispered into the skin on her neck.

"Fuck. You," she growled at him, repeating Damon's words. She felt a small rush of satisfaction in knowing he would've been proud of her.

Esther's chanting started again, only louder this time. It was like the weather was working with her, the thunder accenting just the right vowels, the wind carrying her voice across the clearing.

She felt Tyler/Klaus wrap his arms around her, ready to strike when he was given the green light. Elena waited and waited. She was much calmer than she ever expected she would be, but she no longer felt like living.

Then it happened.

She felt the sting of fangs pierce her neck and she could literally feel the blood being sucked from her veins. Pull after pull, she felt the life being drained out of her, but her eyes never left Damon's still form.

She wasn't sure if the lack of blood was giving her hallucinations, but she was sure she saw looks of pain flash across all the Original siblings' faces in time with the lightning. She was confused. What was happening? Was she just imagining it all?

And then the most peculiar thing happened - all the siblings suddenly dropped to the ground, and seemed to be crying out in agony. She couldn't hear them due to the storm all the magic brought in. She wondered briefly if her mind was playing tricks on her. The haze in her brain was only getting thicker. Things were moving so slowly.

And then she was falling - her neck screaming in pain - toward the ground. She heard Tyler/Klaus growl in agony and then she turned to see a streak of blonde fly behind his back. She briefly wondered if it was the lightning.

She wanted to find out what was happening, but she felt more searing pain in her neck. She felt as if her flesh was being ripped from her. She tried to scream. She tried to fight. She was paralyzed, forced to remain frozen while the life was sucked from her body.

So she let it. She thought of Damon and their first time together after Ric's bachelor party. She thought of their happy bubble the morning after. She thought of his face when she left with Stefan. She thought of the relief she felt when she saw him in the cave. She thought of how he felt inside her, showing her physically how much he loved her.

She could feel the weight of Tyler/Klaus pressing her into the ground. She could hear people screaming, the sound of flesh ripping and bones breaking. Then suddenly it was all gone and she was floating. The pain was gone and she was free.

She kept moving upward, toward the sun, toward heaven. Toward Damon.

She smiled at the thought.

She was warm. Everything was so bright, so promising. She was happy here, away from the dangers of the world.

"Elena!" She vaguely registered someone screaming her name and everything started to dim. No! She didn't want to leave the warm place she found.

"Elena! Please!" The voice was frantic, sobbing. She wanted to tell them to let her go, she was happy, but the light continued to dim.

She didn't know how long she was floating for. She didn't care. She wanted to stay here forever where nothing could touch her. Where nothing could hurt her.

But then she heard a different voice screaming her name. A voice she never thought she'd hear again.

"No, Elena!"

The light dimmed again and she was panicking. She needed to get to that voice. She searched endlessly, the bright world she found only getting darker. She knew nothing except that she needed to find the voice. She had to find it.

"ELENA!"

And then everything went black.

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><p><strong>*ducks*<strong>

**Don't hurt me just yet. Is Damon a vampire? Is he still human? Or do he and Elena frolic off into the sunset in their little afterlife? **

**Tune in next time!**

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**Reviews are love!**


	17. Chapter 17

**This is a huge chapter and a major game-changer. Be prepared.**

**Thanks to Jenn, my lovely beta (aka elvishgrrl). She rocks and is more awesome than I'll ever be.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>"Caroline!" Bonnie hissed. "Stop pacing, you're stressing me out."<p>

"Sorry," she muttered, but stood relatively still. The weight of what they were about to do was not lost on her. If she wasn't a vampire, she'd be shaking like a leaf and planning her escape without being noticed.

"It's going to be okay," Lucy, Bonnie's distant relative, told her with a comforting squeeze of her hand.

Bonnie had called Lucy soon after they all hammered out a plan to save Elena. A Bennett relative would definitely help their chances, but Bonnie was still skeptical.

"How do you know?" Caroline cried. "They've already killed Damon!"

"Caroline, calm down," Bonnie said softly. "Damon said that no matter what, we stick to the plan."

Caroline nodded, but she still felt doubtful. Damon had become one of her closest friends since Elena left and she couldn't stand the thought of something happening to him. Her thoughts flicked to Elena's agonized cry when she heard the distinct snap of his neck. She wanted to run to her friend and hold her while she cried.

Suddenly Caroline's head snapped to the clearing in the distance. She listened for a few moments before she turned to Bonnie and Lucy.

"It's time," she said grimly.

"Let's take down some Originals," Lucy said with a smile.

Bonnie and Lucy joined hands and started chanting in a language Caroline couldn't even begin to comprehend.

She took a deep breath, steeled her shoulders, and started walking toward the clearing. She repeated the plan in her mind. She knew what she had to do. She was strong enough. She'd make Damon proud. She owed him.

She entered the clearing behind the Original Witch and she saw Tyler/Klaus drinking from Elena. As she took a deep breath to prepare herself, she saw all the Original siblings drop to the ground in pain.

Show time.

Caroline ran as fast as she could toward her best friend and she tackled Tyler/Klaus to the ground, her hand positioned to plunge into his back and rip his heart out. The three of them fell to the ground and she could hear Tyler/Klaus growl in frustration. She could see his jaw tense and hear Elena's whimpers as he bit her even harder. Caroline couldn't linger long on that as Tyler/Klaus's arm swung behind him and knocked her off with a blow to her ribs. She rolled a few feet away from them and caught a glimpse just as Tyler/Klaus savagely tore into Elena's neck.

The Original siblings were all screaming in pain, and Caroline could see Bonnie and Lucy slowly moving toward the ritual site. Caroline lurched back to her feet to finish what she started. As she approached Tyler/Klaus, a whoosh of air knocked her sideways and she watched as a fury of brunette hair tackled Tyler/Klaus off Elena and pinned him to the ground.

"Hello, lover," the woman purred.

Tyler/Klaus's face went from feral, to surprised, to smug in mere seconds when he recognized the person on top of him.

"Katerina."

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><p><em>Everything was quiet. Too quiet.<em>

_"Stefan?" she called, but heard nothing._

_The house was immaculate. Everything dressed in dark, ornate wood. Expensive rugs covered the wooden floors in the entryway and down the halls on either side. Straight ahead was a giant living room with a massive fireplace. The place had class, she had to give them that. She'd seen it a few times from the side of the road, but she'd never been inside._

_She turned back to the door and was taken aback because it was open. She could've sworn she closed it. She took a tentative step toward it, trying to remember if she had closed it or not when a raven squawked and flew in through the open door. Her heart leapt in her chest and she jumped away from the door. As she turned around, she was met with a man staring at her quizzically._

_He was beautiful. He had dark, almost black hair, and the bluest eyes she'd ever seen framed by thick dark eyebrows. There was a sharp angle to his jaw and he had a pair of perfect plump lips._

_"I... I'm sorry for barging in," she stuttered. "The door was... open," she said as she turned to point at the door behind her only to see it was closed tight._

_He gazed at her a moment longer before he spoke, "You must be Elena."_

_His voice sounded like music and wait, how did he know her name?_

_"I'm Damon, Stefan's brother," he explained when she shot him a confused look._

_"He didn't tell me he had a brother," she replied._

_"Well, Stefan's not one to brag," he said with a slight smirk, then signaled to the living room behind him. "Please! Come."_

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><p>"This is all quite poetic," TylerKlaus said. "I'm the reason you turned in the first place and here you come to finish me off."

Katherine ignored him and instead, plunged her hand into his chest and pulled out his heart. The thunder clapped through the sky again and mixed with the cries from the siblings standing around the clearing. Caroline's eyes darted around, watching each one of them until her eyes fell on Elena, bleeding out on the ground.

"Elena!" Caroline screamed as she scrambled on her hands and knees to where Elena lay.

She rolled Elena over and bit into her wrist. Tears quickly filled her eyes as she thrust her bleeding wrist into Elena's mouth.

"Come on," she whispered through her tears. "Please drink."

A sob tore through her as she cradled her friend's head and pressed her wrist firmly against her mouth.

Caroline glanced up to take in the ritual site, vaguely wondering why none of the siblings had attacked her yet. A gasp escaped her lips when she saw them all laying on the ground, grey and lifeless.

"What happened?" Caroline asked Katherine, who was kneeling next to Stefan and helping untie him from his restraints. Katherine gave her a small shrug before she focused on Stefan again. Caroline could hear the sizzles of burning skin and she assumed the ropes were drenched in vervain.

"It was the linking spell," Lucy said breathlessly as she and Bonnie walked slowly into the clearing.

"The what?" Caroline asked.

"Esther performed a linking spell that linked all of her children together and used their power to bring Klaus back. If one dies while they are linked, they all die," Lucy explained.

"What about Esther?" Caroline asked, glancing in the direction of her body on the ground.

"The spirits on the other side are not happy with her," Lucy said grimly. "They will not allow her to live."

The tension in the clearing was immediately broken. The Originals were dead.

Caroline was about to respond when a gasp from across the clearing caught all their attention.

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><p><em>"You're surprised that I thought you'd kiss me back? You can't imagine that I'd believe you'd want to," Damon hissed at her. He was drunk and upset and she knew this was not going to end well.<em>

_"Damon," she warned, but he ignored her completely._

_"That what we've been doing here means something?" The heartbreak in his voice was palpable._

_"You're the liar, Elena! There is something going on between the two of us and you know it and you're lying to me, and you're lying to Stefan, and most of all, you're lying to yourself. I can prove it," he said as he rose from her bed and approached her. Before she could back away, he took her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers. Her hands came up to his chest to fight him off the second he leaned in._

_"No. Damon, don't. What's wrong with you?" she cried._

_"Lie about this," he whispered as he leaned in again._

_"Stop it." She pushed him off. "You're better than this! Come on."_

_"That's where you're wrong," he said sourly._

_"Damon, no. Listen to me - I care about you. I care about you. I do," she said quickly, trying to talk him down from the ledge back to sanity. "But I love Stefan. It's always going to be Stefan."_

_She watched her words register in his mind and she saw him visibly deflate._

_"Elena, what's going on in here?" Jeremy said from the bathroom doorway._

_"Nothing, Jeremy. It's okay, just go back to bed," she said as she tried to pry her hands from Damon's steel grip._

_"No, it's not okay, Elena. He wants to be a vampire," he said as he dropped her hands and turned to Jeremy. In the next second he had his hands around Jeremy's head and had him backed into the wall._

_"No, Damon, stop it!" she shrieked. This was not going to end well. Damon was having some sort of emotional breakdown and he didn't know how to deal with it._

_"You wanna shut out the pain? It's the easiest thing in the world. The part of you that cares just goes away. You just flip the switch and snap!" he said as he snapped Jeremy's neck and let him fall to the ground in a lifeless heap._

_"NO!" she screamed._

_Damon killed her little brother. Her only family left in the world._

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><p>He felt like he was underwater. He knew there were things going on around him, but he couldn't place them.<p>

The commotion was slowly getting clearer. He could hear Caroline talking. Or was she crying?

Then he remembered the clearing. The ritual.

Shit!

Elena!

The next thing he knew he was sucking in air like he'd never breathed before in his life. He glanced around the clearing trying to fill in the gaps of what he'd missed. All the Originals were on the ground. Were they dead? Katherine was kneeling next to a weakened Stefan. Bonnie and Lucy were sitting together looking worse for wear. Caroline was huddled over Elena who was lying on the ground in a pool of her own blood.

Elena!

Scrambling to his feet, he tried to rush to her, but was knocked off guard when his head started to spin. He stumbled a little and waited until the dizziness subsided before he walked slowly to Elena's side. Her face was ashen and part of her neck was torn to shreds. She had dried blood running down the sides of her mouth, he assumed from Caroline.

Despair washed over him like a tidal wave. It was so powerful that it brought him to his knees.

"No, Elena!" he cried, pulling her limp body into his arms. He buried his face in her hair as tears flooded his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. She couldn't be dead. He shook her firmly.

"ELENA!" he screamed, but his voice broke causing more tears to roll down Caroline's cheeks.

"Oh God," he sobbed, then turned to Caroline. "What happened?"

"Everything went as planned," she replied in a watery voice, her chin quivering. "I took him down just as he bit into her neck, but he fought me off and then he tore into her neck like a crazed vampire. Then Katherine came in and tackled him off of her and ripped his heart out."

"Katherine?" he asked as she joined them, supporting Stefan with one arm.

"I came looking for Stefan at the wedding and followed him to Elena's house," Katherine explained. "I'm taking him back to the boarding house."

Caroline and Damon both nodded at the pair and watched them fade into the surrounding forest.

"Damon?" Caroline whispered after a few long moments of silence. He turned and looked at her, but said nothing. "Are you going to complete the transition?" Her voice was small. She was afraid to hear the answer because deep down she knew what it was.

He shook his head sadly with more tears rolling down his cheeks as he gazed at Elena's lifeless face.

"Caroline," he said in a broken voice. "I can't face eternity without her."

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><p><em>She examined her healed wounds in the mirror, praying she would be able to just forget about today. She sighed and walked into her room.<em>

_"Cute PJ's," a voice said, effectively startling her. She glanced across her room to see Damon perched on her window seat._

_"I'm tired, Damon," she sighed._

_He rose silently and walked slowly across the room. He stopped in front of her and raised his hand to her face - from it dangled her necklace. The same necklace she thought was gone the second Elijah ripped it from her neck._

_"I brought you this," he said smugly, with a small smirk._

_"I thought that was gone," she breathed. He smiled a little and shook his head._

_"Thank you," she said reaching for the small charm. Before she could grab it, he yanked it away._

_"Please give it back," she said carefully._

_"I just have to say something," Damon said, still holding her necklace in the air._

_"Why do you have to say it with my necklace?" she countered._

_"Because what I'm about to say is probably the most selfish thing I've ever said in my entire life," he said, his voice low and full of self-loathing._

_"Damon, don't go there," she warned._

_"I just have to say it once. You just need to hear it," he said as he took a few steps closer to her. "I love you, Elena. And it's because I love you that I can't be selfish with you. Why you can't know this. I don't deserve you, but my brother does."_

_He closed the distance between them to press a soft kiss to her forehead before he backed away. He ran his fingertips down the side of her face and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear._

_"God, I wish you didn't have to forget this," he said, his voice broken and a single tear slid down his cheek. "But you do."_

_And then he was gone._

* * *

><p>"Come on, Damon," Caroline said after piling all the siblings in a haphazard pile and lighting them on fire. Who knew that Originals were so flammable after they were dead-dead? "Let's go back to the boarding house."<p>

Bonnie and Lucy had already left after setting fire to the Original family. Damon nodded and stood, still cradling Elena in his arms and followed Caroline to her car.

Caroline watched him in the rearview mirror the whole drive to the boarding house - he insisted on sitting in the back so he didn't have to let go of Elena. Her heart broke with every glimpse of him she got. He would gently tuck a stray hair behind her ear, check the wound on the side of her neck, fix her clothes back into place, or just stare at her with watery eyes. Caroline could feel the devastation rolling off of him in waves; it was almost suffocating inside the small car. She couldn't bear to see his pain. It was written so plainly on his face, in his body language, and in his eyes. She expected that he was just counting down the hours until he would desiccate and join Elena on the other side. The thought alone left her with a lump in her throat.

Losing her two best friends in one day was not something she was prepared to handle. She and Damon had become reluctant friends when Elena left. Caroline had no one. Bonnie left soon after, not wanting to deal with Mystic Falls any longer or the supernaturals that dwelled within it. So she started showing up at the boarding house, bugging Damon and annoying him into alcoholic binges. Soon she grew on him, she could tell because he let her drink his good liquor. She supported him with his search for a witch that could give his humanity back, she let him complain about his brother, and she stood by while he destroyed various pieces of furniture because Elena left.

"You need to come back to me," she heard him whisper as he gazed lovingly at her face. Caroline held in the sob that threatened to rip through her. She hated every second of this.

He had become her closest friend and she enjoyed the fact that they could be friends for eternity. He was one person she'd never have to lose. Until now. But seeing him clutching Elena like a lifeline, she knew that he would never recover from her death. She was okay with him refusing to transition. She hated how much pain he was in and she hated that she couldn't do a thing about it.

She pulled up to the boarding house and he clambered out of the car in a daze, still hugging Elena's body to his chest. She was sure his body was on autopilot as he moved into the house.

"I'm gonna just," he mumbled as he gestured to the stairs. Without finishing his sentence, he turned and disappeared up to the second floor.

She let out a heavy sigh. He was numb. She could see it all over his face. She wandered into the living room and filled up a glass tumbler of his best scotch. She needed it.

"How is he?" Stefan's voice carried into the living room. She looked up to see him leaning against the entryway looking worse for wear.

"Bad," she said quietly before downing a full gulp of the amber liquid and enjoying the way it burned her throat. "Really bad, Stefan."

"And Elena?" he whispered, walking further into the living room.

"She's dead, Stefan," Caroline snapped before relaxing. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as she took calming breaths. "I'm sorry, I'm just not handling it well."

"It's ok," Stefan said quietly.

"So where's Katherine?" Caroline asked as she flopped on the couch.

"Upstairs cleaning up," Stefan said. "She's going to help me control the blood lust."

"Good," she said simply, effectively ending their conversation.

* * *

><p><em>"This is even more pitiful than I thought," he rasped, his hand clenching hers tightly.<em>

_"There's still hope," she said fervently, trying to convince herself as well._

_"I've made a lot of choices that have gotten me here. I deserve this - I deserve to die," he said, his eyes shut tight. Every word out of his mouth clearly took a lot of the energy he had left._

_"No," she said, sliding down on the bed so she was at his level. "You don't."_

_"I do, Elena, it's okay," he said, opening his eyes slowly. "Cause if I had chosen differently I wouldn't have met you."_

_Her heart stopped at hearing his words. Her eyes snapped to his and she saw the sincerity in them._

_"I'm so sorry. I've done so many things to hurt you," he said quietly as tears filled her eyes._

_"It's okay, I forgive you," she whispered. It was the truth - she did forgive him. If she was honest with herself, she'd forgiven him before he showed up to her house that morning._

_"I know you love Stefan and it will always be Stefan. But I love you, you should know that," he said earnestly. Her tears finally broke through and started to fall. She nuzzled his chest and let the tears come down._

_"I do," she said. It was the first time she'd ever heard it from him and it floored her._

_"You should have met me in 1864, you would've liked me,"_

_"I like you now, just the way you are," she said, sitting up to look him in the eye. If he had to take anything with him when he died, it would be the knowledge that she wouldn't ever change him._

_If he died, she wanted to know what it felt like to press her lips against his. So, in a snap decision, she leaned in and closed the distance between their mouths. She didn't care that he was sweaty or that he could hallucinate at any second, all that mattered was she and him in that one perfect moment._

_"Thank you," he whispered when she pulled away._

_"You're welcome."_

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><p>Damon wished that he could hold Elena in his arms forever, but he was at least determined to hold her until he joined her in death. He never wanted to forget how her body felt against his. It was so right. It was like home. He blinked back the return of his tears, he just couldn't cry anymore. It would take everything he had.<p>

Reluctantly, he placed her on his bed before he ran to his bathroom to get a washcloth and a bowl. He filled the bowl with warm water then entered his room. He placed the washcloth and bowl on his nightstand before moving to his wardrobe and pulling out a t-shirt and sweat-pants. He laid the clothes on the foot of his bed before climbing on with the washcloth in hand. He dipped it in the water, wrung it out, and slowly ran it across the wound on her neck. He cleaned the area meticulously, enjoying the distraction it provided. He dipped it back into the water, turning it pink, and started to clean the blood off her face. The cloth glided across her skin easily, slowly removing the blood and revealing her flawless skin underneath.

Once he finished, he undressed her reverently and redressed her in his sweats, knowing that no matter what she would want to be comfy. He stared down at her and smiled. Her face was so peaceful and relaxed. He wished with his heart that she could've lived her life after the ritual, a life that wasn't tainted with a constant threat. A life where they could have happily grown old together. A life where they could have had children and grandchildren. It had been over a hundred years since he ever thought about what would happen if he had kids.

He climbed onto the bed and stretched his body out along her side. He stared down at her peaceful face and pretended that she was just sleeping. He let his mind wander to the day she met him. He thought about their trip to Georgia and about how she hugged him after he found out about Katherine. He thought about the night he snapped Jeremy's neck, a night he'd never forgive himself for. Along with the night he forced his blood on her. He couldn't help but think that if he hadn't almost died, she would've never forgiven him for that. That thought alone killed him.

"Why won't you wake up, Elena?" Damon whispered as he leaned down to press a kiss to her lips. His fingers traced her face, then ran through her hair. He would give his life to bring her back.

"If you were here we'd probably make love in my bed, in the shower, in the library, in the kitchen, and probably on any other surface we could find," he chuckled quietly. "I would tell you about all the things you were compelled to forget, even the awful things I did to you. I'd pray that you would forgive me like you did all those years ago. I'd help you break it, Elena. I really would."

He gazed at her face and continued to stroke her soft hair, trying to commit the feel of her to memory.

"I've never loved anyone the way I love you," he whispered into her hair. "And I'll only ever love you."

Silent tears rolled down his cheeks and into her hair as he wrapped his arms around her small body and pulled her to him. He laid his head on her chest, pretending he could hear her heartbeat, and hooked one of his legs around both of hers. He flexed his arms around her as if she'd get away if he didn't and cried himself to sleep wondering how soon he'd be taken away from this life. He prayed that the universe would have pity on him and make it quick. He wasn't sure how much more pain he could handle.

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><p><em>She wasn't sure how she did it, but she managed to tangle herself from his grasp and get home. She'd convinced him that she'd come by in the morning, but she needed to be at home with Jeremy and Ric. Who were both sound asleep when she carefully snuck through the door.<em>

_She tiptoed up the stairs and slid into her room before shutting the door behind her. A wide smile broke out on her lips as she leaned back against the door. She had been so brave tonight. She felt elated, liberated even, after finally giving in to the thoughts she'd work so hard to forget. Every fiber of her being knew she loved Damon, but she never allowed herself to admit it for fear the guilt would eat her alive. She knew she should feel a little guilty, but she couldn't seem to muster an ounce. She couldn't love a ghost and that was what Stefan had become, a shell of his former self. He was no longer the man she loved and she had moved on from that._

_She finally flicked the lights on and had to stifle a scream as she saw Stefan standing in her room._

_"What are you doing here?" she asked quietly as her heart rate picked up in fear._

_He let out a humorless laugh._

_"I can smell him all over you. Inside you," he practically growled. Her blood boiled. She had been perfectly happy when she had gotten home and now he was making her feel like dirt._

_"I knew it was only a matter of time before you'd go running to him," he snarled at her, taking slow steps toward her. "That you'd settle for the lesser brother."_

_Her veins were on fire as she pulled her hand back and released it across his face._

_"You don't get to make me feel guilty. Damon has nothing to do with this. You left. You made a choice and I made a choice to move on. I told you I wouldn't love a ghost and I meant it," she spat at him._

_"I won't let you become Katherine," he said a little softer._

_"I'm not. Katherine played you both. I made a choice and I choose him," she said strongly._

_A sadistic smile spread across his lips as he took a few more steps toward her. She tried to sink back against her door to move away from him._

_"Elena," he whispered as he cupped her face in his hand. She lifted her gaze to meet his and found herself pulled into it. Panic started to flood into her as she realized what he was going to do. She cursed herself for giving Rebekah her necklace and not taking the precaution to ingest vervain some other way._

_"You are going to leave Mystic Falls. Now that the danger is gone, you want to leave it all behind and try to live normally without vampires, witches, and hybrids," he said in a monotone voice. She knew she needed to run, to get away from him, but her body wouldn't move. Tears flooded her eyes when she realized she couldn't fight it._

_"You are going to forget about the past year and a half. You will forget Damon and I. You will forget Caroline is a vampire and that Bonnie is a witch. You will go to a new school in a big city. You will go to college there and you will never return to Mystic Falls."_

_She sucked in a rapid breath and found herself in her room alone._

* * *

><p>She was underwater. Swimming in a dark abyss, not knowing which way was up and which was down. She clawed through the water, desperately trying to find a way out.<p>

She couldn't breathe. Her lungs were screaming. She needed air.

Her heart was pounding and panic was setting in. She couldn't get out. She needed to get out. She needed to find Damon. She swam frantically, trying to find the surface. Suddenly a beam of light cut through the water, lighting her way. She swam toward it as fast as she could. Her lungs ached, and unconsciousness threatened to take her under, but she pushed through and she finally found the surface.

She gasped a lungful of air, her heart still pounding, and her hands shaking. Adrenaline was coursing through her body. She opened her eyes and was completely disoriented - she wasn't in water, hell, she wasn't even wet. She was still panting and gasping for air as she looked around the room, desperately trying to figure out where she was.

"Elena!" she heard someone call her name, and she felt them shake her shoulders, but she was too overwhelmed to notice. She heard her name called again and felt a pair of hands cup her face and force it to the side. All she saw were piercing blue eyes. Relief immediately flooded her entire being. Her shoulders slumped and her eyes welled with tears. Maybe death wasn't so bad at all.

"Damon?" she said quietly and saw a brief smile flash across his perfectly sculpted lips.

"Oh, thank god. It's me," he nodded. "I'm here, baby."

Hearing his words, she threw herself into his arms and cried in earnest. He crushed her against his body and stroked her hair soothingly. She squeezed him as tight as she could, thinking that this moment could get ripped from her at any second.

She felt so good in his arms; it was like she was home. She pressed a kiss into his bare shoulder, reveling in the feel of his skin against her lips. Once they left his skin, they ached to touch it again. She turned her head and pressed another kiss to the side of his neck, then another under his ear, on his jaw, down his throat, across his clavicle, leaving tears in her wake as she moved and committed him to memory. He held her tight, one arm around her waist and the other tangled in her hair, as she continued her sweet onslaught. He basked in the feel of her skin against his.

"I thought I lost you," she whispered into the side of his neck as she trailed her lips up and across his face.

"Me too," he told her as he pulled back to gaze at her face. The love he felt for her multiplied exponentially and he tightened his hand in her hair to pull her lips to his. All the fear, stress, and heartache from the last 24 hours all rolled into one emotion. Need. It exploded in his veins, and he pulled her even closer to him. She responded eagerly, clearly feeling the same way. Their lips and tongues battled in a sultry dance that neither of them could get enough of.

The feel of his lips against hers was like no other feeling in the world, but the needy way he pulled from her reminded her of their first real kiss in the boarding house in front of the fireplace, the same night they successfully killed Klaus. The same night she decided to stop fighting her feelings for him. The first night they ever made love. The same night Stefan compelled her to leave.

Wait. What?

She ripped her lips from his like she'd been shocked and stared down at his bewildered face. They were both working to calm their breathing, yet they never broke eye contact. Insecurities instantly flooded him the moment she tore her mouth from his.

"What is it?" he asked breathlessly.

"I remember," she whispered finally. She could feel his entire body tense upon hearing her words. She tried to gauge his reaction, but he gave nothing away.

"What?" he breathed, his voice laced with confusion.

"I remember," she said again, her voice a bit stronger. "How do I remember?"

Immediately, his face fell. His gaze dropped from her eyes, his expression forlorn.

"What aren't you telling me, Damon?" she asked, her ability to see through him obviously hadn't wavered.

He took a deep breath before he finally lifted his eyes to hers.

"We're in transition."

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><p><strong>Whew. That chapter was a beast to write and I hope you are all happy with the turn of events. I teared up a few times writing Damon's parts. They killed me.<strong>

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	18. Chapter 18

**Thank you to every single reviewer! **

**Thanks to Jenn for being an awesome beta. You rock, woman!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>"No," Elena gasped, pulling herself from his embrace. Her mind was racing and panic was slowly setting in. She pulled her knees to her chest, trying to protect herself from the truth. This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't.<p>

"Elena," he said quietly, reaching for her. He was thrown when she recoiled from his movement. That hurt like a bitch.

"Wait, what do you mean 'we'?" she asked suspiciously.

"I meant, you and I," he said slowly, maintaining a safe distance from her, but watching her like a hawk.

"Oh my God," she cried, her voice breaking with the sob she was trying to hold back. She hugged her knees tighter, trying to keep herself together, but it was an effort in vain.

"How?" she whispered shakily. Her eyes lifted to his and she saw the anguish written all over his face. He died – she'd watched Tyler/Klaus snap his neck right in front of her.

"Caroline tried to heal you after Klaus was killed, but there was just too much damage done," he explained softly, his eyes never leaving hers. His gaze was too intense and she dropped hers to the invisible piece of lint on the sweats she was wearing. She hadn't been wearing them before and it made her heart feel a little lighter to think that Damon knew she'd want to be comfortable.

"And you?" she whispered, peeking up at him from under her lashes.

The room was quiet for a few moments and she could feel him squirm on the bed uncomfortably. His gaze darted around the room as if searching for an answer to her question.

"I asked Caroline to give me her blood before I came to find you," he admitted in a quiet voice, so quiet she almost didn't hear him.

Her eyes shot to his at his admission. She saw every conflicting emotion laid out plain and simple in front of her. Fear, hope, heartache and love. A lot of love.

"You don't want to be a vampire," she told him quietly, blinking back the familiar stinging of tears behind her eyes.

He gave her a sad smile. "Neither do you."

Tears filled her eyes as she shook her head. The truth of his words hit her hard. What hurt worse was the devastation in his eyes when he uttered the words.

"No," she said and her voice broke. "I don't want to be a vampire."

The floodgates opened and she let out a strangled sob as tears rolled down her cheeks. He reached out and pulled her onto his lap. She went willingly, wrapping her arms around his neck and crying into his shoulder. Everything from the past few weeks came rushing over her. Meeting Damon, the feeling she got around Stefan, Stefan attacking her, seeing Katherine, the cave sex, the sacrifice, seeing Damon's lifeless body on the ground, getting her memories back, and finally, learning that she was becoming the one thing she never wanted to be.

He ran his hand through her hair and held her until her cries turned into quiet whimpering. The tears had vanished, leaving only dry, painful sobs crippling her body and taking everything she had with them.

"You don't have to go through with it," he said softly, burying his face in her hair and inhaling her scent. "You don't deserve this. I'm so, so sorry, baby."

"You don't want me to?" she asked quietly, pulling back to look at his face.

"I think you need to think about this away from me," he said and she could hear the pain in his voice that he was trying to mask.

"What?" she breathed in question, pushing herself away from him more, taking in his whole face with her greedy, searching gaze.

"This is a lot to take in, you just got all your memories back and on top of that you are transitioning into something you never wanted to become. I don't want to be the reason you do something you don't want to do," he said softly, lifting his hand to run his fingers down her cheek and trace her lips.

"Damon," she said, trying to give him anything that would take that desolate look out of his eyes.

He took a deep, shaky breath before speaking again. "You once told me that you loved Stefan, that it would always be Stefan. I know that we have been... together since you've been back, but now that you've regained your memories, I want you to be sure of what you are doing. And of who you are doing it with."

His words made complete sense and it only hurt her more. Could her love for him really be enough to justify turning into a monster? A monster? No. Damon had been a vampire almost the entire time she'd known him and she'd never thought of him as a monster.

Was this something she could do? Was this something he even wanted her to do? Surely if he wanted her to transition he would've said something - begged, pleaded - anything. But he did nothing.

"Can you just hold me a little longer?" she asked in a small voice. For just a few more moments she wanted to just be in his arms and put off the inevitable just a while longer.

"Okay," he whispered, pulling her into his arms without hesitation and burying his face in her hair.

* * *

><p>Caroline heard everything. Elena was alive - well, she was in transition. Tears pricked her eyes when she heard the sheer relief and love in Damon's voice when she came to. She tried not to listen to much after that, tried to give them their privacy in case they wanted to do other things.<p>

She hummed to herself and let the liquor flow generously. She was snapped out of her inner thoughts when she heard Elena rush past the living room and slam the door of one of the guest bedrooms. Caroline knew what she needed to do. She got up, rushed to the door and without knocking, walked right in.

Elena was dressed in Damon's clothes, laying face first on the large mattress.

"'Lena?" she asked quietly.

"Go away," Elena groaned, her voice muffled by the duvet.

"That's the vampire blood talking," Caroline scolded playfully.

"I'm sorry, Care," she said quietly, pushing herself up into a sitting position.

"It's ok - it's a lot to take in, but I'm here for you," Caroline said earnestly, crawling onto the bed next to her best friend.

Elena crossed her legs and dropped her head into her hands, sighing in defeat.

"What are you doing down here anyway?" Caroline asked, trying to remember hearing Damon and Elena fight at all, but she couldn't recall a thing.

"Damon basically kicked me out of his room," Elena mumbled, her head still resting in her hands.

"Why would he do that?" Caroline asked, shifting so she was sitting knees to knees with Elena.

Elena lifted her head from her hands, and with tears in her eyes, she said, "I don't think he wants me to do it. To turn."

"Elena, if you really think that, you are delusional," Caroline said seriously.

"He practically threw me out the door, Caroline," Elena cried, putting her hands on her head again and trying to keep the tears at bay.

"You didn't see him when he was sure you were dead. He was so broken, Elena. I could hardly even look at him," Caroline said, leaning forward and pulling Elena's hands off her face. The heartbreak she saw there was astounding.

"Why would he kick me out? Why wouldn't he ask me to turn?" Elena asked, hating how pathetic and needy she sounded.

"Elena, he's not going to make that decision for you, not after the first time," Caroline said, tangling her fingers with Elena's and squeezing them to show her that she was here for her.

Elena thought about the first time. The time when he was so desperate to keep her alive that he forced his blood on her, guaranteeing that she'd become a vampire. It was a moment that she finally understood. She'd forgiven him long ago for it, but now she understood. If she had the choice to force him to turn or lose him forever, she'd force him to turn, no matter how angry he'd be with her.

"You have to decide for yourself what you want to do. I didn't have a choice, Elena. You have a choice and someone who will love you for eternity or follow you in death should you choose either way." It was hard for Caroline to think of Elena choosing death. She was selfish and wanted her best friend for eternity, but, like Damon, she wouldn't make the choice for Elena.

"Thank you, Caroline," Elena whispered.

"That's what I'm here for." Caroline gave her a blinding smile.

"No, not just this, but for saving me. Giving me your blood. Giving me a choice," Elena explained quietly, fighting tears of gratitude.

"You are my best friend, Elena. I love you, of course I'd try to save you," Caroline replied in a shaky voice, fighting her own tears.

"I love you, too." She smiled through her tears and pulled Caroline in for a hug. They just held each other while they cried together.

* * *

><p>She knew what she needed to do. She had one last stop, one last conversation to have before she could go back to Damon and bury herself in his arms for eternity. The thought left her with a smile and butterflies in her stomach. A smile that dropped when she stopped in front of Stefan's door. She steadied herself with a deep breath before raising her fist and knocking on the door. Her knocks were strong, much stronger than she felt. The door opened quickly to reveal Stefan standing on the other side, looking very... broody, for lack of a better word.<p>

"We need to talk," she said seriously, and walked past him into the room.

"Elena," he said, his voice full of anguish that only served to piss her off. So she took three very deliberate and measured steps toward him before launching her palm across his face. She reveled in the satisfying sound that cracked through the room and the way his head snapped to the side with the blow.

"Don't you dare 'Elena' me," she growled at him, her face only inches from his. "How could you, Stefan?"

"You remember," he said quietly, his head turning to look at her.

"Yes, I remember," she snapped, shaking her head and turning to walk a few steps from him before facing him once more. "How could you do that to me? To your own brother? I trusted you!" She crossed her arms over her chest and tried to keep her breathing in check.

"I'm so sorry," Stefan replied sadly. He tried to take a step closer to her, but she countered it quickly.

"Sorry isn't going to cut it, Stefan," she barked out with a humorless chuckle.

"I wasn't in my right mind," he tried to explain, shaking his head. He for damn sure hadn't been in his right mind.

"Then you need to get your blood lust under control and start taking responsibility for your actions," she said harshly, pointing a finger in his direction.

"I am. I'm going to work on it," he said urgently, trying to will her to believe him with his words.

"And from now on, I want nothing to do with you," she said in a strong voice.

"Elena, I'm so sorry," he cried, trying desperately to keep her from cutting him out of her life. Out of her eternity.

"I loved you, I really did, but that was a long time ago. I told you three years ago that I chose Damon and I'm choosing him now. It'll always be Damon," she said with a wistful smile flitting across her lips. Jealousy tore through him like a hot iron. And boy, did it hurt. All he could see was green and that only pissed him off. Only once in his life had he ever been jealous of his brother - the night he took Elena's memories away.

"Eternity is a long time, Elena," Stefan said, hoping to inject just enough doubt in her mind.

"What are you suggesting?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously.

"Damon is Damon." Stefan shrugged, trying to give off the air of nonchalance. "He's going to mess up and he'll lash out when things don't go his way. I'm saying that I have an eternity to show you that I'm the better choice," he said, taking slow steps toward her, successfully closing the majority of the space between them.

"That right there, Stefan, is why you will never be the better choice for me," she hissed before moving around him and slamming his door with a resonating rumble. It wasn't over. She would see. Sooner or later Damon would screw up and he would be able to prove to her once again that they were meant to be. He would work with Katherine, he would learn control and he would be the better man.

And sooner or later, she'd see it too.

* * *

><p>She moved across the boarding house with renewed purpose, ready to change her life forever. With Damon. She smiled at the thought and her feet started to move faster. Never in her life did she ever think that she'd be ready to make this choice. Never did she think she'd actually be happy to make it.<p>

She was nervous for what that new life could bring her, but she knew that if she was facing it with Damon, everything would be okay. He would keep her safe. He would make sure she wouldn't take an innocent life. She trusted him with her human life and she would trust him with her vampire life.

She burst through his door to see him in the same place she left him. Still shirtless, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed, staring straight ahead. His gaze landed on hers when he heard the door open. He looked absolutely desolate, as if he'd lost all hope. His eyes lit slightly when he saw her standing in his doorway.

"Come to say goodbye?" he asked. His voice was hurt and hopeless.

"No," she said, shaking her head and walking to the edge of the bed before crawling across the mattress to him. She sat back on her heels before taking his face in her hands. "I didn't come to say goodbye. I came to say that I'll do it."

He openly gaped at her, his body seemingly frozen as he processed her words.

"Elena, you don't have to do this because you think it's what I want," he said quietly, almost insecurely.

"I'm not doing it for you, Damon. I'm doing it for me because I can't imagine a life without you. Because I'm not ready to be without you and if I don't want to be without you, this is what I have to do," she explained, praying that her words would take the devastated look off of his face. "I love you, Damon," she whispered, leaning into him. "I want to be with you forever."

She let her words hang for a moment before she finally closed the distance between their lips. He stayed frozen a moment longer before one arm snaked around her waist, pulling her against him, and his other hand tangling into her hair, holding her against his mouth as he moved his lips against hers expertly. He tasted like heaven, like her future, he tasted like he was hers. He held her tight, like she'd slip away at any moment, and she gladly held him the same way.

All too soon, he ripped his lips from hers. She opened her eyes in a daze, fearing that he wouldn't want her to do it. But relief washed through her when she saw the awestruck smile on his face.

"You are going to be mine?" he whispered, his voice full of wonder, of hope, of love.

She nodded with tears in her eyes before she breathed out one word.

"Forever."

**End of Part I**

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><p><strong>There you have it. The end of Closer than Most. <strong>

**I will be writing a sequel. So expect that sometime in the near future.**

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